😻😻Alone in the Woods with Ten Cats😻😻 (Remix)

[Spoken Intro] They said, “Careful.” “You don’t want to end up alone.” “With cats.” ...There are woods? [Verse 1] They said, “Find somebody, darling Before the good years disappear You don’t want to get too strange now You don’t want to end up here” Single, older, slightly feral Talking softly to the trees Ten cats watching from the windows No one telling you to please They said it like a caution Like a fate to run from fast Then somebody mentioned “cottage” And the fear began to pass [Pre-Chorus] Wait— There’s a garden? There’s a view? There are herbs above the doorway And a cat in every shoe? There’s nobody in the kitchen Making silence into war? ...Tell me more. [Chorus] You said “alone with cats” Like it was some kind of curse I checked the alternatives The cottage came first Don’t threaten me with a good time Give me the woods and the moonlight Ten cats, no regrets If that’s the worst— I might get two more tonight [Post-Chorus] Two more cats! Two more cats! The council has concerns. [Verse 2] There’s rosemary above the stove Three paintings on the floor A half-made deck, six jars of tea And moss around the door The bassline shakes the jam jars At an indecent decibel One cat’s sleeping in the laundry One believes she runs the well There’s a suspicious apothecary There are mushrooms in a row There’s a handwritten sign that says: “Do not ask Where the others go.” [Spoken] Nobody knows what that means. Including her. [Pre-Chorus] Nobody asks why she’s emotional Nobody sighs and checks the clock Nobody says she’s getting difficult While stealing all the blankets off the cot— [Pause] Actually... The cats absolutely do that. [Chorus] You said “alone with cats” Like it was some kind of curse I checked the alternatives The cottage came first Don’t threaten me with a good time Give me the woods and the moonlight Ten cats, no regrets If that’s the worst— I might get two more tonight [Breakdown / Cat Administration] Cat one runs the meeting Cat two keeps the score Three has formed a union Four is blocking the door Five demands more biscuits Six has taken the chair Seven’s drafting policy Eight is sleeping somewhere Then: Nine is in the ceiling Ten refuses to explain [Verse 3] She feared the lonely ending Till the lonely got a view Now there’s thyme above the doorway And a cat in every shoe Turns out peace can sound like rainfall Turns out quiet can be kind Turns out solitude gets softer When you don't leave yourself behind And maybe someday someone Finds the pathway through the trees Comes to love her, not to own her And meets her there with room to breathe Maybe there are muddy boots Beside her strange collection there Maybe someone learns the cats’ names Even Ceiling Cat. [Bridge — drop back, warm] She still believes in love She still wants someone near But her life already belongs to her Whoever comes must meet her here No shrinking for a heartbeat No bargaining for a hand Love can come and sit beside her It does not get to take the land Being alone was never The thing she had to fear Losing herself to keep somebody— That was the danger here [Build] So if love comes Let it come kind Let it bring its own good wine Let it knock Let it wait Let the cats investigate [Cat Chorus] We’ll decide! [Final Chorus] You said “alone with cats” Like it was some kind of curse I checked the alternatives The cottage came first Don’t threaten me with a good time Give me the woods and the moonlight Ten cats, no regrets My whole damn life is mine You said “alone with cats” Like that would make me run But I’ve seen the other endings And this one sounds like fun Don’t threaten me with a good time I’ve got herbs and stars tonight Ten cats? No regrets. [Pause] ...Make it twelve