(Instrumental Intro) [A simple, melancholic piano melody. The sound of a kettle beginning to boil, then fading into the background. The soft crackle of a record player.] (Verse 1) This chair is worn where you would sit And trace the patterns on the rim The clock ticks on, the hour gets thin I pour the water, steep the leaves within Another cup I know you won't come drink Another thought I let the sink... just sink (Chorus) And it's a quiet kind of keeping A secret that's safe while I'm sleeping In the steam that rises, warm and fleeting A love that's perfectly, terribly, meeting All the roles I'm supposed to play And washing all the words away (Verse 2) I mend the tear in your old coat A thread of blue, a note I didn't write They say a mother's hands are never still Maybe it's just to have a purpose to feel The fabric that you'll wear out in the world A tiny flag of me, forever furled (Chorus) And it's a quiet kind of keeping A secret that's safe while I'm sleeping In the steam that rises, warm and fleeting A love that's perfectly, terribly, meeting All the roles I'm supposed to play And washing all the words away (Bridge) The rain has started on the glass Reminding me how moments pass And how a single, silent, shared look Can be the one I take from all the storybooks And close, and put upon the highest shelf To keep entirely... to myself (Outro) The kettle sings its lonely tune... again I pour the water out... amen [The piano melody repeats, fading slowly. The sound of the kettle clicking off. Silence.]
