In an old apartment waiting for the walls to move
Praying that someone, hoping that no one intrudes
Living like an actor, feeling like a poet bruised
But no man is an island
Lay down your robe, leper or rogue, keep yourself open here
Don’t let the cold close to your soul, lonely tonight
Passing like a shadow never letting anyone see
Maybe I’m biased but I don’t think you know the first thing about me
Lay down your robe, leper or rogue, keep yourself open here
Don’t let the cold close to your soul, no one is free come light
Heavier stones think themselves, that they’re alone here
But everyone grieves and everyone feels lonely tonight
Don’t tell me you know, when I know you don’t
Behind the Song:"During the fall of 2006 while we were writing this record, I read a book that I will never forget - Ernest Hemingway’s “For Whom the Bell Tolls.”
This book (inspired partially by one of John Donne’s poems) shows the depth of human connectivity amongst people who consider themselves loners, outsiders, and detached from the world around them. Being one of those people that often feels so misunderstood, depressed, and internalized, it had a profound effect on me, teaching me to turn to others around me and open up; to drink deeply from human experience, but not isolate myself from those around me. This song is a call to all those who feel lonely and alone in the world, to turn to others and realize that so many people feel like them in their most private moments. It is a call to self-dubbed “lepers” and “rogues” to open up from their reclusion and feel lonely - together. Naturally, like so many of my lyrics, this song is aimed at myself." - Justin Anderson (
Mainstay)