From the recording Pet Loss & Love That Remains
Lyrics
[Verse 1]
The house is always clean now, my black pants stay black,
No nose prints on the window, the trash can stays intact.
I don’t hide shoes by the door like I did before,
It’s quiet and it’s perfect, and I hate it even more.
[Pre-Chorus]
Every tidy corner feels like something wrong,
Order makes its sermon, but it doesn’t make me strong.
[Chorus]
I’d take the muddy floors, I’d take the 4 a.m. bark,
I’d take the chewed-up cushion just to have you in the dark.
I spent so long complaining ’bout the fur upon the rug,
Now I’d trade it all forever for one more clumsy hug.
The silence is so heavy, the mess was just the proof
That you were here, you were real, and you were my whole truth.
I’d take the muddy floors.
[Verse 2]
Doorbell is a whisper, the mailman looks relieved,
The vacuum naps for days now, no tumbleweeds of leaves.
The lint roller’s unemployed, the baby gate is stacked,
Your squeaky toy sits quiet and it never squeaks back.
[Pre-Chorus]
All the little hassles turned to things I crave,
I’d mop that kitchen nightly for the life we gave.
[Chorus]
I’d take the muddy floors, I’d take the 4 a.m. bark,
I’d take the chewed-up cushion just to have you in the dark.
I spent so long complaining ’bout the fur upon the rug,
Now I’d trade it all forever for one more clumsy hug.
The silence is so heavy, the mess was just the proof
That you were here, you were real, and you were my whole truth.
I’d take the muddy floors.
[Bridge]
Give me pawprints up the hallway, water by the bowl,
Kibble on the baseboard, plans out of control.
Give me couch-corner frayed where you dug your rest,
Give me every broken bedtime, I would call it blessed.
[Chorus]
I’d take the muddy floors, the thunder at the door,
The chased-off afternoon naps scattered on the floor.
I’d take the nicked-up table and the shoes you used to move,
Because every little trouble was the way you showed your love.
I’d take the muddy floors.