[Intro]

   
   

[Verse 1]
          
Oh Carissa, wh

           
en I first saw

              
 you, you were

     
 a lovely chil

d
            
And the last t

            
ime I saw you,

             
 you were fift

             
een and pregna

        
nt and running

 wild
            
I remember won

            
dering, could 

             
there be a lig

            
ht at the end 

         
of your tunnel

?
          
But I left Ohi

              
o then and pre

            
tty much forgo

              
tten all about


 you
            
I guess you we

            
re there some 

           
years ago at a

         
 family funera

l
            
But you were o

            
ne of so many 

            
relatives I di

      
dn't know whic

h one was you

[Verse 2]
          
Yesterday morn

              
ing I woke up 

           
to so many 330

  
 area code cal

ls
           
I called my mo

             
m back and she

            
 was in tears 

              
and asked had 

    
I spoke to my 

father
          
Carissa burned

              
 to death last

           
 night in a fr

     
eak accident f

ire
            
In her yard in

            
 Bruster her d

              
aughter came h

            
ome from a par

         
ty and found h

er
            
Same way as my

         
 uncle who was

           
 her grandfath

er
          
An aerosol can

              
 blew up in th

            
e trash, godda

          
mn, what were 

the odds?

[Verse 3]
          
She was just g

              
etting ready t

           
o go to her mi

              
dnight shift a

     
s an RN in Wad

sworth
            
And she vanish

            
ed up in flame

            
s like that bu

              
t there had to

   
 be more to he

r life's worth
           
Everyone's gri

             
eving out of t

           
heir minds, ma

        
king arrangeme

nts and taking

 drugs
            
But I'm flying

            
 out there tom

              
orrow because 

            
I need to give

     
 and get some 

hugs
           
Cause I got qu

          
estions that I

              
'd like to get

  
 answered
          
I may never ge

              
t them, but Ca

            
rissa gotta kn

     
ow how did it 

happen

[Chorus]

           
Carissa was 35

             
, you don't ju

             
st raise two k

            
ids and take o

          
ut your trash 

and die
             
She was my sec

            
ond cousin, I 

              
didn't know he

            
r well at all 

              
but it doesn't

             
 mean that I w


asn't
            
Meant to find 

             
some poetry to

            
 make some sen

              
se of this, to

          
 find a deeper

 meaning
              
In a senseless

            
 tragedy, oh C

             
arissa I'll si

            
ng your name a

       
cross every se

a

[Interlude]
   
  

   
  

 
 
 


[Verse 4]
            
Were you doing

         
 someone else'

     
s chores for t

hem?
            
Were you just 

            
killing time, 

              
finding things

            
 to do all by 

     
your lonesome?
           
Was it even yo

             
u mistakenly p

           
ut flammables 


in the trash
            
Was it your ki

            
ds just being 

              
kids, and so, 

            
oh, the guilt 

            
they will carr

y around forev

er
            
Well I'm going

            
 out there to 

           
get a look at 

         
the landscapes
            
To get a look 

            
at those I'm c

              
onnected by bl

            
ood and see ho

     
w it all may h

ave shaped me
            
Well I'm going

          
 out there tho

             
ugh I'm not re

      
ally needed
           
I'm just so br

             
oken up about 

            
it, how is it 

              
that this sad 

  
history repeat

ed?

[Verse 5]
            
I'll return to

            
 Ohio,(I'll re

              
turn to Ohio) 

           
to the place I

     
 was born (to 

the place I wa

s born)
            
Gonna see wher

            
e I hung with 

              
my cousins and

            
 played with t

            
hem in the sno

w (Fist in the

ir palms)
            
Gonna see how 

            
they've grown,

           
 Visit some gr

          
aves and say h

ey I've missed

 you
            
Gonna find out

            
 as much as I 

              
can about my l

            
ittle second c

 
ousin Carissa
           
Gonna go to Oh

          
io, where I wa

  
s born
            
Got a 10: 45 a

            
m flight, I'm 

            
leaving tomorr

    
ow morning
            
Gonna see my a

            
unts and my un

           
cles, my paren

          
ts and sisters
            
Mostly I'm goi

            
ng to pay my r

              
espects to my 

            
little second 

  
cousin Carissa
          
Going to Ohio 

           
where I feel I

    
 belong
            
Ask those who 

            
know the most 

              
about Carissa 

            
for it is her 

           
life and death

 that I'm help

lessly drawn

[Chorus]
           
Carissa was th

             
irty-five, rai

             
sed kids since

            
 she was fifte

              
en years old a

      
nd suddenly di

ed
              
Next to an old

            
 river, fire p

              
it, oh there's

           
 gotta be more

              
 than that to 


it
              
She was only m

            
y second cousi

             
n but it don't

              
 mean that I'm

            
 not here for 

              
her or that I 

 
wasn't
            
Meant to give 

              
her life poetr

             
y, make sure h

            
er name is kno

            
wn across ever

y city

[Outro]