[Verse 1]
New town smell on a secondhand jacket
Salt in the air
Summer stuck to my skin
Caught your eyes by the rusted ferris wheel
You smiled like trouble I wanted to be in
Neon rides
Black boots on the railing
You said my name like a dare in the dark
Your laugh got lost in the surf and the screaming
I followed you straight off the mark
[Chorus]
Blood on the boardwalk
Smoke in my lungs
Calling your name
Teeth in the half-light
Can’t tell the thrill from the shame
I’m hanging by a strand of your silver hair
One more step and I’m already there
Blood on the boardwalk
And I don’t know if I’m scared
[Verse 2]
My kid brother’s room stacked high with heroes
Paper worlds where the good guys win
He swears the pages are secret survival guides
Says
“They’re not a joke when the fangs sink in” (hey!)
Two weird kids at the dusty shop counter
Whisper “Trust us
We’ve trained for this fight”
Flashlights
Stakes
And a beat-up canteen
Planning the end of the night
[Chorus]
Blood on the boardwalk
Smoke in my lungs
Calling your name
Teeth in the half-light
Can’t tell the thrill from the shame
I’m hanging by a strand of your silver hair
One more step and I’m already there
Blood on the boardwalk
And I don’t know if I’m scared
[Bridge]
David’s grin in the rearview mirror
Eyes like a promise I might not break
Wind in my face on a screaming night ride
Every choice I make
He helps me make
Wine in a bottle that burns like daylight
Laughter that rots into distant screams
How do I kill what I almost wanted
How do you wake from a dream like this dream (oh no)
[Chorus]
Blood on the boardwalk
Smoke in my lungs
Calling your name
Teeth in the half-light
Can’t tell the thrill from the shame
I’m hanging by a strand of your silver hair
One more step and I’m already there
Blood on the boardwalk
If they save me
Will you stay?
Blood on the boardwalk
I walk away
But I still crave