To Build A Home
Alternative
16
Written by: Patrick Watson
Glossed by: Milana Lipkind
There is a house built out of stone1
Wooden floors, walls and window sills
Tables and chairs worn by all of the dust
This is a place where I don’t feel alone
This is a place where I feel at home
And I built a home2
For you
For me
Until it disappeared3
From me
From you
And now, it’s time to leave and turn to dust4
Out in the garden
where we planted the seeds5
There is a tree as old as me
Branches were sewn by the color of green
Ground had arose and passed its knees
By the cracks of the skin
I climbed to the top
I climbed the tree
to see the world
When the gusts came around
to blow me down
I held on as tightly as you held onto me6
I held on as tightly as you held onto me…
And I built a home7
For you
For me
Until it disappeared
From me
From you
And now, it’s time to leave and turn to dust.8
1. A stone house is sturdy and erect. “Dust” symbolizes nostalgia in memories made. This house is the strong foundation upon which the writer builds his relationship, and the home is his safe haven.
2. The “home” (foundation) is built for the both of them.
3. When the home disappears, something has happened and this safe haven is disrupted.
4. “Dust” still symbolizes memory; “turn to dust” means it is time to leave it all in the past.
5. The “seeds” are the roots of their relationship. The writer illustrates the abundance of leaves, indicating a healthy tree and, by extension, a healthy relationship. Climbing the tree means he was at his peak in his relationship, but the “gusts” of wind symbolize the bad occurrence, which knocked him down from the top of the world.
6. Literally, he holds onto the tree so as not to fall. It is implied that she was up at the top with him, and they did not want to let go and leave each other to face what happened.
7. The writer repeats his lines to further establish the significance of the safe haven they both shared together.
8. It is finally time to let go and put it all in the past. Dust will always be the memories they shared together. Repetition of this line signifies that the writer has come to peace with his loss.
Year: 2007