Everyone You Hold

Everyone you hold takes a piece of you away;

Everyone you know pricks the image of the human clay

And everybody's laughing -

The joke goes mouth to mouth and slips away.

Everyone you hold leaves you something of themself;

Everyone you told spreads your secret on the warehouse shelf

And everybody buys it

For everyone's in commerce and in trade.

When every sweet embrace has faded

The voices dip, the faces dim and memory drifts away -

Still you stay in everyone you hold.

Everyone you hold, no, they never leave your side;

Everybody knows there are secrets we can't hope to hide.

If everyone is with you

Then you can never be alone at all

And everyone forgives you -

Accumulated whispers, Chinese walls.

Now everyone you knew

With smiles that you've seen through

We flag, it's true...

But you're still in everyone you hold.

Everyone you hold,

Everyone you hold,

Everyone you told

Knows.