I Was Dinner

Experimental emo: lo-fi cassette grit, hiss and tape wow with abrupt jagged glitches; 83 BPM, lurching post-garage pulse and post-punk quiet-loud eruptions; raw spoken-to-shouted voice in the user's own recording, splintering into ragged unison choruses; grinding analog synth against plinking toy piano, with a hard-cut ending

I WAS DINNER

[Intro – toy piano, cassette hiss]

They said
we were going for a walk.

So we went.

[Verse 1]

Moon over water.
Shoes full of sand.

Two well-dressed strangers
with salt on their hands.

Come see the evening.
Come see the shore.

Nobody asked
what the bread was for.

We followed.

Of course we followed.

There were so many of us.

[Pre-Chorus]

You talked about weather.

You talked about kings.

You asked if we were comfortable.

Such considerate things.

[Chorus]

You invited me to dinner.

You didn't say
I was dinner.

You poured the salt.

You passed the bread.

Then finally
I understood.

You invited me to dinner.

You didn't say—

I was dinner.

[Verse 2]

Butter on china.

Knife by the plate.

Someone said,

Shouldn't we
be getting back?

You smiled.

Not yet.

The tide can wait.

Funny—

the tide was the only thing
leaving.

[Pre-Chorus]

One chair.

Two plates.

No chairs for us.

That's when the little things
started adding up.

[Chorus – ragged unison]

YOU INVITED ME TO DINNER.

YOU DIDN'T SAY
I WAS DINNER.

YOU POURED THE SALT.

YOU PASSED THE BREAD.

YOU SAID,

DON'T WORRY.

GO AHEAD.

YOU INVITED ME TO DINNER.

YOU DIDN'T SAY—

I WAS DINNER.

[Glitch Break]

Such a pleasant—

pleasant—

[warped voice]

evening.

[Bridge – analog synth grinding under toy piano]

The worst part?

You were kind.

That's the part
I keep returning to.

You walked slowly
so we could keep up.

You listened.

You laughed.

You knew our names.

You made us feel chosen.

Maybe that's how
you get someone

to walk willingly

toward the table.

[Half-Time Drop]

I thought danger
would look like danger.

I thought hunger
would show its teeth.

I didn't know
it could speak softly.

I didn't know
it would make room for me.

[Final Chorus – shouted / breaking apart]

YOU INVITED ME TO DINNER.

YOU DIDN'T SAY
I WAS DINNER.

YOU CALLED IT A WALK.

YOU CALLED US FRIENDS.

YOU KNEW EXACTLY
HOW IT WOULD END.

YOU INVITED ME TO DINNER.

YOU DIDN'T SAY—

YOU—

[HARD CUT]

[Outro – toy piano alone]

The tide came back.

We didn't.

2082/7500

I WAS DINNER [Intro – toy piano, cassette hiss] They said we were going for a walk. So we went. [Verse 1] Moon over water. Shoes full of sand. Two well-dressed strangers with salt on their hands. Come see the evening. Come see the shore. Nobody asked what the bread was for. We followed. Of course we followed. There were so many of us. [Pre-Chorus] You talked about weather. You talked about kings. You asked if we were comfortable. Such considerate things. [Chorus] You invited me to dinner. You didn't say I was dinner. You poured the salt. You passed the bread. Then finally I understood. You invited me to dinner. You didn't say— I was dinner. [Verse 2] Butter on china. Knife by the plate. Someone said, Shouldn't we be getting back? You smiled. Not yet. The tide can wait. Funny— the tide was the only thing leaving. [Pre-Chorus] One chair. Two plates. No chairs for us. That's when the little things started adding up. [Chorus – ragged unison] YOU INVITED ME TO DINNER. YOU DIDN'T SAY I WAS DINNER. YOU POURED THE SALT. YOU PASSED THE BREAD. YOU SAID, DON'T WORRY. GO AHEAD. YOU INVITED ME TO DINNER. YOU DIDN'T SAY— I WAS DINNER. [Glitch Break] Such a pleasant— pleasant— pleasant— [warped voice] evening. [Bridge – analog synth grinding under toy piano] The worst part? You were kind. That's the part I keep returning to. You walked slowly so we could keep up. You listened. You laughed. You knew our names. You made us feel chosen. Maybe that's how you get someone to walk willingly toward the table. [Half-Time Drop] I thought danger would look like danger. I thought hunger would show its teeth. I didn't know it could speak softly. I didn't know it would make room for me. [Final Chorus – shouted / breaking apart] YOU INVITED ME TO DINNER. YOU DIDN'T SAY I WAS DINNER. YOU CALLED IT A WALK. YOU CALLED US FRIENDS. YOU KNEW EXACTLY HOW IT WOULD END. YOU INVITED ME TO DINNER. YOU DIDN'T SAY— YOU DIDN'T SAY— YOU— [HARD CUT] [Outro – toy piano alone] The tide came back. We didn't.

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