by the time you read these words I will be gone   and I don't know if I'll be back   so before you ask   just remember   that we've been here before      I see through windows in the rain   through all the language left behind   and I watch you drink    invisible ink   so I won't know   when you swallow your words      I won't be there    to watch it all unravel   to watch the union come undone      the end could come at any time   with harvest hands and tv eyes   and the scientists   know the way it is   and we all know   and we follow them down      I hear you talking like a train   on concepts you can't quite explain   like a dictaphone   set especially slow   and I don't have the heart   to tell you what a fool you are      I won't be there   to watch it all unravel    to watch the union come undone      by the time you hear this tape I will be gone   and I won't be back   so don't even ask   cause we all know   and we follow   with our eyes on the sky   and our hands in the snow