[Verse 1] I set the cup down slow Still warm from the spill Thomas said, “Potsdam?” Like it lived on no map at all “Berlin,” I told him “An hour by car Forty minutes on the S-Bahn” He nodded like that was far [Pre-Chorus] “Not close to Rotterdam,” he said “Not that far either” And I watched the miles Fold inside his mouth [Chorus] Footnotes, footnotes You live in footnotes (footnotes, footnotes) I collect them anyway Connections, connections That was the structure (footnotes, footnotes) And I hear what you don’t say [Verse 2] “’91, ’89…” I smiled at the curve in my voice “Always traveling, I see” He laughed, then looked away “Commercial. Coach. Mostly trains, actually” Backpacking with an Interrail ticket Like some secret he forgot was old [Pre-Chorus] “Interrail?” I asked it plain “Only for citizens?” He said, “Residents” And my attention changed [Chorus] Footnotes, footnotes You live in footnotes (footnotes, footnotes) I collect them anyway Connections, connections That was the structure (footnotes, footnotes) And I hear what you don’t say [Bridge] “Briefly?” I asked He said, “Long enough to qualify Not long enough to belong” And there it was Sweden in ’91 Right after everything shifted You said it like weather Like paper in a file [Breakdown] Filtering versus compression Filtering versus compression You spoke in labels I heard the life inside [Final Chorus] Footnotes, footnotes You live in footnotes (footnotes, footnotes) I collect them anyway Connections, connections That was the structure (footnotes, footnotes) But I’m not looking away Footnotes, footnotes You live in footnotes (footnotes, footnotes) Still, I want every page
