[Intro] “I think we should stop.” Okay. Tea? [Verse 1] You said it by the kitchen doorway One hand still holding your keys No raised voice No dramatic entrance Just six words In a perfectly normal room I looked at the counter Looked at you Then filled the kettle Because apparently My first response To the end of us Was measuring water [Pre-Chorus] Two mugs One teaspoon each Your usual Without asking Muscle memory Has terrible timing [Chorus] Then the kettle clicked off And neither of us moved A tiny ordinary sound After everything we knew Had changed its meaning The kettle clicked off You looked down at your shoes I stood beside two empty mugs Still knowing exactly How you take your tea And not knowing What to do with you [Verse 2] I asked “When did you know?” You said “I’m not sure” I hated that answer Because it was probably true You asked if I was angry I said “Not yet” Then poured too much water Into your cup Watched it reach the rim Stopped just in time [Pre-Chorus] You reached for the milk I moved it closer We kept being considerate Out of habit Which somehow Made it worse [Chorus] Then the kettle clicked off And neither of us moved A tiny ordinary sound After everything we knew Had changed its meaning The kettle clicked off You looked down at your shoes I stood beside two cooling mugs Still knowing exactly How you take your tea And not knowing What to do with you [Bridge — piano and cello only] There should be a procedure For these things A light that changes A form to sign Some official indication That the life you had at breakfast Will not be there by dinner Instead The fridge keeps humming A delivery van stops outside Someone upstairs drops something And the world has the nerve To remain practical [Build] You say “I’m sorry” I say “I know” You say “I still care” I say— [Sustained belt] I kno-o-o-o-ow— [Descending run] That isn’t the same thing [Final Chorus] The kettle clicked off And finally I moved Poured your tea Then changed my mind And tipped it down the sink The kettle clicked off You picked up your keys I put one mug back in the cupboard Left the other one for me There are things I still know about you That I won’t need anymore [Outro — low vocal] One mug. One teaspoon. Mine.
