[Intro — electrical hum; a distant recorded voice, almost reassuring] Please remain seated. Someone will be with you. [Verse 1 — low, close voice; bass and a slow kick drum] The microphones are lying down, their mouths all pointed at the floor. The last applause has left the room. The cleaner props the service door. He takes the names off empty chairs. He rolls the lectern past my knees. A little light above the exit keeps telling me how I could leave. [Pre-Chorus — a thin organ note begins to bend] I raised my hand before they left. It’s still the hardest thing to lower. [Chorus — enormous, slow guitars; hold the ends of the lines] REMAIN SEATED. UNDER THE LIGHT. I DIDN’T CHANGE MY MIND. I JUST RAN OUT OF NIGHT. MY HAND IS STILL RAISED. IT LOOKS LIKE GOODBYE. I DIDN’T CHANGE MY MIND. I JUST RAN OUT OF NIGHT. [Verse 2 — the guitars recede; a cable drags across the floor] The cleaner asks me, “You all right?” I say, “Yeah.” He needs to leave. He wraps the cable round his elbow. I help him carry out the seats. He doesn’t ask me what I think. I don’t ask what he believes. I hold the door against its spring. We make the room look undisturbed. [Pre-Chorus — almost conversational] He isn’t asking me to stop. He’s asking if he can go home. [Chorus — heavier; the organ keeps sounding underneath] REMAIN SEATED. UNDER THE LIGHT. I DIDN’T CHANGE MY MIND. I JUST RAN OUT OF NIGHT. MY HAND IS STILL RAISED. IT LOOKS LIKE GOODBYE. I DIDN’T CHANGE MY MIND. I JUST RAN OUT OF NIGHT. [Bridge — guitars drain into a low hum; an uncomfortably close voice] At home I put the kettle on. The screen asks, “Was this helpful?” For ten whole minutes, I forget. The house goes on being a house. I thought forgetting would feel dirty. It feels like taking off my shoes. That’s the part I couldn’t tell you. [Long pause — a kettle clicks off] [Breakdown — the full weight arrives; slow, separate blows] KEEP THE NAME. STACK THE CHAIRS. LEAVE A LINE THAT SAYS WE CARED. I CARRIED— MY OWN CHAIR— OUT. [Instrumental — the organ repeats its opening phrase beneath grinding feedback] [Final Chorus — exhausted, raw; the voice struggles above the guitars] REMAIN SEATED. UNDER THE LIGHT. I DIDN’T CHANGE MY MIND. I JUST RAN OUT OF NIGHT. MY HAND IS STILL RAISED. IT LOOKS LIKE GOODBYE. I DIDN’T CHANGE MY MIND. I JUST RAN OUT— OF NIGHT. [Outro — the band stops; the recorded voice returns, perfectly unchanged] Someone will be with you. [Electrical hum continues]
