we showed up way too early
in the parking lot I forced down my beer
pretending it was good
pretending I did no feel
awkward and dismissed
among all these older kids

then the lights went out
and the volume up
and that's when people starting going nuts

someone put a flare gun to my eardrums
a sonic spark to my bottlerocket heart
the wave that swept over me
was like a hammer to the knees
I guess no one knew they were creating history

on the ride back home
I watched the ghost face in the bus window
the adrenaline was fading
but the excitement stayed from that day on

I showed off all my bruises
and my copy of No Retreat

my life would never be the same

I'm sure that somewhere out there
is the kid that I was
15 years ago listening to something
they never knew existed for the first time in their life