The One Who Holds the Door

Verse 1

Monday night and the kettle's warm

Sixth grade me is sitting in my chair

Same crooked smile and the same braids

Same wide eyes behind the same frayed sweater

I poured us both a cup of something sweet

he asked me if the dark still scares her

I said the dark was never really dark

The scariest part was always standing beside her

Pre-Chorus

he said check the closet one more time

Check the space beneath the bed

I said honey I already checked

I checked everywhere instead

Chorus

Stop looking under your bed

The monsters don't live down there

They walk right through your doorway

They wear ordinary faces everywhere

Stop looking under your bed

They're not tall and they don't have claws

The monster isn't hiding

It's the one who holds the door for you sometimes

Verse 2

That boy at school who laughed at lunch

The one who made you cry on the bus

He'll tell you he was only joking

And half the town will swear that he's harmless

You'll learn to read the quiet rooms

The way a compliment can cut you open

The kindest smile can hold a blade

And no one names it when it's spoken

Pre-Chorus

he asked me check the window pane

Check the shadows on the wall

I said honey the shadow's not outside

It's standing in the hall

Chorus

Stop looking under your bed

The monsters don't live down there

They walk right through your doorway

They wear ordinary faces everywhere

Stop looking under your bed

They're not tall and they don't have claws

The monster isn't hiding

It's the one who holds the door for you sometimes

Bridge

I wish I could tell you how to see it

I wish I could tell you when to run

But some of them sneak in so slowly

By the time you know it it's done

Chorus

Stop looking under your bed

The monsters don't live down there

They walk right through your doorway

They wear ordinary faces everywhere

Stop looking under your bed

They're not tall and they don't have claws

The monster isn't hiding

It's the one who holds the door for you sometimes

Outro

It's the one who holds the door

It's the one who knows your name

It's the one who asks you to check

And then stays the same

Stays the same

Stays the same