The sunlight glints off the polished blade,
A blinding message to the sky.
The blood is still dried on one edge of the metal
And the emotions haven't yet been left behind.
For the ghost of one boy
Still lies in some alley in Croxteth,
And even though the screams are quiet
His Mum still cries.
The sirens are long gone
But the blood is still on your hands
And the respect your mates thought they had for you
Is gone in a fit of shame.
You've no-one left to turn to,
But still you remain silent.
Slowly the clock ticks away.
The knife you still stuff in the back pocket of your jeans
No longer holds any meaning for you.
It's just a safety mechanism
That hasn't yet been switched off.
Every step you take is haunted
By the enormity of what you've done.
You sit in school with no motivation,
Only the monotonous tones
Of your Chemistry teacher
As he drones on and on.
Slowly the clock ticks away.
You're just a shell of who you used to be
Though you refuse to admit it.
People who tackle you in football
Are met with the same blunt threat.
You're an outcast now
And you think it's all over.
But somebody's still in pain.
Slowly the clock ticks away.
The night quietly whispers to you
As you walk down the same old street
The blood has left the pavement
But it still stains your mind to think about it.
If only you hadn't have done it
Life would be easy.
But there's no going back.
You're so alone.
Slowly the clock ticks away.
You're bunking off school to watch TV,
Lucky your Mum's in someone else's bed.
She can't stand the sight of you
But she doesn't want her baby taken away.
The screen flickers for a moment
And tears are shed onscreen.
She's crying for your attention
But is drowned out by the screams in your head.
The police leave another plea
And programming slowly resumes.
But the screams remain
And you're stuck for the moment.
Slowly the clock ticks away.
A loud banging interrupts your reverie
You haven't eaten in a while
Yet you still feel sick to your stomach.
Fluffy slippers descend the stairs
And the door is opened in the late night air.
Deep voices exchange words in hushed tones
And your heart beats ever faster.
The living room door is swung open
And the minute you see the uniform
You know it's all over.
Slowly the clock ticks away.
You're shown to the flimsy bed,
The cage you now call home.
Spiders creep up the walls
And shouts are heard from above.
There's damp on your pillow
And the screams haven't stopped,
But there's no going back from here.
You lie back in thought,
This is all you can do.
You're here for the next twenty years.
Your back feels cold
Without the handle of the blade
But it's a small weight off your shoulders.
The screw had a paper in his hand
And a face is burned to the back of your eyelids
As it will be for eternity.
You'll always remember what you killed.
Slowly the clock ticks away.
