When I picture my hometown
There’s a bronze spray-tanned statue of you
And a plaque underneath it
That threatens to push me down the stairs, at our school
And it was always the same searing pain
But I dreamed that one day, I could say
All that time you were throwing punches, I was buildin’ somethin’
And I can’t forgive the way you made me feel
Screamed “Fuck you, Aimee” to the night sky, as the blood was gushing
But I can’t forget the way you made me heal
And it wasn’t a fair fight, or a clean kill
Each time that Aimee stomped across my grave
And then she wrote headlines
In the local paper, laughing at each baby step I’d take
And it was always the same searing pain
But I prayed that one day, I could say
All that time you were throwing punches, I was buildin’ somethin’
And I couldn’t wait to show you it was real
Screamed “Fuck you, Aimee” to the night sky, as the blood was gushing
But I can’t forget the way you made me heal
Everyone knows that my mother is a saving woman
But she used to say she wished that she were dead
I pushed each boulder up the hill
Your words are still just ringing in my head, ringing in my head
I wrote a thousand songs that you find uncool
I built a legacy which you can’t undo
But when I count the stars, there’s a moment of truth
That there wouldn’t be this, if there hadn’t been you
And maybe you’ve reframed it
And in your mind you never beat my spirit black and blue
I don’t think you’ve changed much
And so I changed your name, and any real defining clues
And one day, your kid comes home singin’
A song that only us two is gonna know is about you, ’cause—
All that time you were throwing punches, it was all for nothin’
And I doubt it looks so small, from all the way up here
Screamed “Thank you, Aimee” to the night sky, and the stars are stunnin’
‘Cause I can’t forget the way you made me heal
Everyone knows that my mother is a saving woman
But she used to say she wished that she were dead
So I pushed each boulder up that hill
Your words are still just ringing in my head, ringing in my head
Thank you, Aimee
Thank you, Aimee