Not Going Anywhere

[Intro] [Warm felt piano, one slow chord at a time. Room tone, a distant clock. Very quiet, intimate.] [Verse 1] [Female only vocal, narrator, calm and observant, close and almost spoken. Piano only.] The house has gone quiet, and he's still in the chair The lamp is on for nobody He asked how was your day, she said fine And he took fine like it was an answer [pause] [Chorus] [Male only vocal, warm and unguarded, melody opens gently. Soft pad and low bass enter. Real lift, a wish he'll never say aloud.] I wish I could say you don't have to be fine I wish I could say I'm not afraid of what's under it I wish I could say it without a plan Just: I see you, and I'm not going anywhere [pause] [Verse 2] [Female only vocal, narrator, pulse quickens, brushed drums and cello enter, restless like a mind running through a list.] He's probably built a list by now Call someone, take a Friday, fix the car Fixing is the one thing that he knows It's how he's always loved her [pause] [Chorus] [Male only vocal, bigger and fuller, strings swell, full band, strained at the top, the biggest moment in the song. The wish said at full volume inside his head.] I wish I could say you don't have to be fine I wish I could say I'm not afraid of what's under it I wish I could say it without a plan Just: I see you, and I'm not going anywhere [pause] [Bridge] [Female only vocal, narrator, hushed, tension building. Pulse tightens, bass walks up, strings climb, then everything falls away to near silence on the last line.] Down the hall, the door is open an inch He could wake her, he's got the words, the list And that's the exact wrong thing So he stands there, hand on the frame [Silence. Everything cuts at once. One full beat.] [pause] [Final Chorus] [Male only vocal, almost whispered, the quietest the song has been. Piano only, very soft. The wish getting smaller.] I wish I could say you don't have to be fine I wish I could say it without a plan Maybe I don't have to say it Maybe I just have to be here [pause] [Outro] [Female only vocal, spoken, plain and gentle. A chair creaks once. No music.] He sits back down in the dark Not fixed Just there [pause] [Female voice, spoken, softer, a little shaky. The first time she says "I."] I heard the chair. [End]