[Verse 1]
He was a husband who drove his wife home drunk from the parties
He was a husband who drove his wife home
And in the car he would lean her head gently against the side door window
And in the bathroom, he would hold her hair back and hope, saying

[Refrain]
Oh, they build buildings
Oh, they build buildings
Oh, they build buildings
Oh, they build buildings
Oh, they build buildings
Oh, they build buildings
Oh, they build buildings
So tall these days

[Verse 2]
And in the morning, she'd wake up and crouch recollections all day
But she would always, always wake up the next morning
He'd take one look at her and say, "Oh, oh, it's okay"
And her conscience would issue yet another last warning, saying

[Refrain]
Oh, they build buildings
Oh, they build buildings
Oh, they build buildings
Oh, they build buildings
Oh, they build buildings
Oh, they build buildings
Oh, they build buildings
So tall these days
[Chorus]
And she would ask for time
And she'd ask for time
And she'd ask for time
And she'd ask for time
And she would beg for time
And she'd beg for time
And call it a gift
And he would give her time
And he'd give her time
And he'd give her time
And he'd give her time
But time is not given, and time is not taken
It just sifts through itself
But time is not given and time is not taken
It just sifts through itself
Sifts through itself
Just sifts through itself
Oh-oh, sifts through itself
Just sifts through itself

[Verse 3]
And it would be coffee, and coffee, and coffee, and coffee ,and coffee
And coffee some more
He'd go to work and she'd take a sick day and rot at the core
And by the time he came back, she'd scrubbed the bathrooms and made them smell like pine
It would be almost as if nothing had happened
And he'd give her time
Oh, oh, and he'd give her time, saying
[Bridge]
Oh, they build buildings
Oh, they build buildings
Oh, they build buildings
Oh, don't they build buildings?
Oh, they build buildings
Oh, they build buildings
Oh, they build buildings
So tall these days

[Chorus]
And she would ask for time
And she'd ask for time
And she'd ask for time
She'd beg for time
And she would beg for time
And she would beg for time
And call it a gift
And he would give her time
And he'd give her time
And he'd give her time
And he'd give her time
But time is not given, and time is not taken
It just sifts through itself
But time is not given and time is not taken
It just sifts through itself
Oh, sifts through itself
Sifts through itself, oh
Oh-ooh, oh, sifts through itself
Sifts through itself
[Outro]
He was a husband, drove, time
Hope, time, car, oh, core
Core, sick day, core
Coffee, core warning, last warning
He was a husband, time, pine scrub, scrub
Bathroom, lean, hair, back
Car window, hope, time, give, don't they
Build buildings tall these days