The Bright Machine

[Verse 1]
You built a clock to boil an egg
It rang at dawn and shook the tent
A paper horse with copper legs
Ran backward till the hinges bent
You called it useless, packed it up
But every wheel kept turning still
The ticket booth began to hum
A tune no blueprint could fulfill

[Pre-Chorus]
So let the crooked parts stay crooked
Let the loose bolts catch the light
What missed the mark can move the whole thing
When the pieces turn just right

[Chorus]
I’m the bright mistake in the middle of the fair
A little out of measure, still I’m going somewhere
Every wrong-way engine pulls a new horizon near
I don’t have to fix the shape to let the road appear
I take the whole odd machine, the sparks and all its seams
And roll toward what I haven’t been

[Verse 2]
A teacup plane could barely rise
It carried postcards round the room
A compass pointed at your hands
And drew a map through every tune
The crowd leaned in, the canvas shook
The broken gears began to sing
No one designed this kind of flight
But look how far the scraps can swing

[Bridge]
Tomorrow’s not a polished model
On a shelf behind the glass
It’s one more bolt, one open doorway
And the nerve to let it pass

[Chorus]
I’m the bright mistake in the middle of the fair
A little out of measure, still I’m going somewhere
Every wrong-way engine pulls a new horizon near
I don’t have to fix the shape to let the road appear
I take the whole odd machine, the sparks and all its seams
And roll toward what I haven’t been

[Outro]
Keep the crooked parts in motion
Let them carry me ahead