[Verse 1]
I knew you by the rope line
By the flash in your grin
Coffee in a paper cup
Before the rooms let you in
Your name on the corner screen
Then gone with the rain
You waved like you could hear me
Then you turned back again
[Pre-Chorus]
And I still keep that postcard
Bent at the edge
One foot in the bright air
One foot on the ledge
Your eyes said, don't forget me
Your hands said, wait
I watched the whole world lift you
I watched it seal your fate
[Chorus]
Public figures
Under glass faces
Public figures
We remember traces
Public figures
Hold the same ache
Public figures
Love what time takes
[Verse 2]
Now you're all clean lines
In a frame of gold
But I miss the awkward hours
And the stories left untold
The joke you never finished
The laugh you hid away
The little half-moon scar
On the side of your face
[Pre-Chorus]
And I still hear your footsteps
In the old hall
Soft as a prayer bead
Rolling down a wall
You learned how to smile wide
For the distant crowd
I learned how to miss you
Even when you're loud
[Chorus]
Public figures
Under glass faces
Public figures
We remember traces
Public figures
Hold the same ache
Public figures
Love what time takes
[Bridge]
If I call your old number
It rings in my head
Past the bright red banners
Past the words you said
You were never just the headline
Never just the shape
You were a human heartbeat
Trying not to break
[Chorus]
Public figures
Under glass faces
Public figures
We remember traces
Public figures
Hold the same ache
Public figures
Love what time takes
[Outro]
Under glass faces
We still see rain
Public figures
Calling your name