"Under my bed I keep a steak knife"

Disclaimer: this post was written in December 2023, and scheduled for future posting. Its contents may no longer be accurate or appropriate.

Don't worry, people. I put that in quotes so you know's it's not me with a serrated edge beneath the mattress. This is Checking Out by Divorce, and it's terrific. I don't know how to pigeonhole describe Divorce - alt-country? Indie-rock? Post-modern ... something? It doesn't matter, I guess. You might find more clues over at their Bandcamp page. What I can tell you is that they are a four-piece from Nottingham, not Nashville as parts of this song might suggest. Checking Out comes from their debut EP, last year's Get Mean, and tells a brilliant, if dark, short story of spousal abuse and a blood-soaked solution.

So, a great video too. Anyway, here's the short story. Sorry, the lyrics.

Bobby works on weekends
And he's got a good hand
But he never keeps his promises
And I'm getting pretty tired of staying up

In the middle of the night
I smell the guilt on him as he
Smothers me with buffers and his
Winter coat that he just won't take off

"Bobby where are you going?
I've got work first thing in the morning"
But he didn't bother answering
Just turned and headed for the door

Under my bed
I keep a steak knife
These kids broke in six months ago
I guess it made me feel a little bold

Your leaving
Made me so uneasy

That I should learn to love myself without a reason or a doubt
And he's always coming in as I'm checking out

I didn't do it gently
Lord knows the man is heavy
But I think I hit an artery
So he never came to get me

Watching him slip
Got pretty tiresome
So I sat down and watched TV
As he finished ruining my mother's carpet

"Bobby look!" (Bobby look!, Bobby look!)
Its the show we liked
When you stopped coming home on weekdays
And I sat alone here every night

Oh baby
I see pretty clearly

That I should learn to love myself without a reason or a doubt
And he's always coming in as I'm checking out

Oh I should learn to love myself without a reason or a doubt
And he's always coming in as I'm checking out
And he's always coming in as I'm checking out
And he's always coming in as I'm checking out

There's nothing but the rain
To wash the blood away
And all those old mistakes
Baby they burn with you today

There's nothing like the rain
To wash the blood away
And all those old mistakes
Baby they burn with you today

There's nothing like the rain
To wash the blood away
And all those old mistakes
Baby they burn with you today

There's nothing like the rain
To wash the blood away