[Intro - Spoken, restrained] Mom, you already asked if I've eaten. Yes, I've eaten. Come sit down for a minute. [Verse 1 - Intimate, observant] You bring me food to last the week Then find something to put away You ask me if I'm sleeping well While looking at the cups beside the sink I tell you something about my day You smile when I mention the studio Then ask me if I'm happy With your hand still resting on your coat [Pre-Chorus - Tender, uneasy] I say yes a little too quickly You pretend that you believe me We've learned how to reassure each other Without saying very much at all [Chorus - Open, aching] When you look at me I see the question you're afraid to ask Am I hiding something too? Will you only know when it's too late? So I smile to ease your worry To let you breathe a little more But Mom, I've lost my sister And I need to let myself cry When you look at me Without having to say I'm fine [Verse 2 - Warm, wounded] You call when I'm coming home late You say you only want to talk If I don't answer in a few minutes You ask if you can come around Sometimes I sigh when I see your name Then feel guilty before I answer I know why you keep your phone Beside your pillow every night [Pre-Chorus - Fragile, conflicted] You say, “I don't want to bother you” I tell you, “You're not bothering me” Then we talk about the rain again And everything that's easy to say [Chorus - Open, aching] When you look at me I see the question you're afraid to ask Am I hiding something too? Will you only know when it's too late? So I smile to ease your worry To let you breathe a little more But Mom, I've lost my sister And I need to let myself cry When you look at me Without having to say I'm fine [Bridge - Bare, vulnerable] Tonight you asked if I was okay I said, “Not really,” with nothing else prepared You stopped folding the laundry And sat down on the edge of my bed I waited for you to find an answer You said, “I miss her so much today” Then you cried without turning away And I could finally do the same [Build - Soft, opening] I didn't try to make you smile You didn't say the pain would pass We let our dinner go cold For once, with nothing left to fix [Final Chorus - Full, tender] When you look at me You can ask me for the truth I'll try to find a way to tell you Even when it makes you worry I won't always make you feel safe You won't always make the hurting stop But Mom, we're both missing her We don't have to hide it anymore When you look at me I don't have to pretend You can stay here beside me Even when I'm not okay [Outro - Spoken, fragile] Stay a little longer, Mom. We can heat up dinner later.
