(Verse 1)
Dust motes dance in the faded light
Through a gap where the blinds aren't shut quite right.
The rest of the world is a hum and a haze,
Lost in the glow of a digital maze.
His name is Dawson, seventeen and a half,
And the door to his room is his one true path.
The carpet's been worn in a single deep line,
From the desk to the bed, a familiar design.
(Chorus)
Oh, Dawson, Dawson, what do you see?
In the pixel-perfect, virtual sea?
Another quest finished, another level won,
He's got a high score for hiding from the sun.
The birds are all singing, the cars pass by,
But he's in a kingdom that lives in the sky.
Just the click of the mouse and the flash of the screen,
The boy in the room, the silent machine.
(Verse 2)
His mom leaves a plate at the foot of the door,
A sandwich and chips, and maybe some more.
A knock and a whisper, "You doing okay?"
"Yeah, fine," comes the answer, a world away.
The characters chatter, the heroes all shout,
But he doesn't hear the world outside.
His friends send a text, "Wanna hang out tonight?"
He types back, "Can't, got a big boss to fight."
(Chorus)
Oh, Dawson, Dawson, what do you see?
In the pixel-perfect, virtual sea?
Another quest finished, another level won,
He's got a high score for hiding from the sun.
The birds are all singing, the cars pass by,
But he's in a kingdom that lives in the sky.
Just the click of the mouse and the flash of the screen,
The boy in the room, the silent machine.
(Bridge)
He’s a legend in-game, known far and wide,
He’s a champion slayer with nothing to hide.
He’s fearless and strong in a digital place,
But a stranger to the sun on his face.
And his parents just wonder, with worry and doubt,
When their little boy’s going to finally come out.
(Outro)
So the moon finds him playing, the sun finds him there,
The same rumpled shirt and the uncombed hair.
Just Dawson, and the light from the screen's steady glow,
Lost in the world that he's come to know.
