he caresses every bottle    like it's the first one he's had    saying    it ain't love    but it ain't bad    it's the only reward    bestowed upon me    and i have served faithfully       and i can see he is scarred    from doing some hard time    but i let alone what is broken    'cause it isn't mine    he strikes out at me    when i am within reach    and then he reaches for me    when i draw the line       sometimes it seems like love    is just a fancy word for compromise    you gotta read between the years    you gotta write between the lines    you gotta try to understand    the grandness of the man behind the petty crimes    and let him off easy sometimes       i have only just met    an old old friend    we've been walking around holding hands    i hope some day he can bend    as far as it takes to understand    and risk breaking open again       he caresses every bottle    like it's the first one he's had    saying    it ain't love    but it ain't bad    it's the only reward    bestowed upon me    and i have served    i have served faithfully