[Female – soft modern pop] I found the one that snapped clean through Lying separate from the rest Green and thin and still damp at the break Like it hadn’t finished its last breath I picked it up without thinking Turned it over in my hand Tried to fit the pieces back together Even though I knew they wouldn’t stand [Male – rising rock] You stood there holding what was already gone Like your fingers could rewrite the end I wanted to tell you to put it down But the look on your face stopped the words again [Both – building] Holding the broken stem Holding the broken stem Trying to keep what already gave way Holding the broken stem Holding the broken stem Refusing to throw the pieces away [Female] I wrapped a strip of tape around the crack Set it back inside the vase It leaned at an angle that looked almost right If you didn’t look too close or too long You watched me do it from the doorway Didn’t laugh or tell me it was useless Just stayed quiet while I pretended That one small fix could still mean something [Male – full rock force] I’ve been doing the same thing with us Taping over every fracture I can reach Standing it up so it looks almost whole While the real break stays just out of speech [Both – soaring] Holding the broken stem Holding the broken stem Trying to keep what already gave way Holding the broken stem Holding the broken stem Refusing to throw the pieces away [Female – quiet bridge] Later I sat alone at the table Stared at the tape and the uneven line Wondered how long I could keep pretending That holding on was the same as fine [Male] I walked over and took it from your fingers Felt how light the broken piece had become Set it down gently on the open newspaper And neither of us said what we’d done [Both – final powerful chorus] Holding the broken stem Holding the broken stem Trying to keep what already gave way Holding the broken stem Holding the broken stem Refusing to throw the pieces away Holding the broken stem Even when it cuts a little deeper Holding the broken stem Because letting go still feels harder [Outro – female and male overlapping softly] Holding the broken stem… (Just holding on) Holding the broken stem…
