[Verse 1 — 7/8, immediate smoky female vocal, hypnotic sub-bass, muted electric guitar, faint detuned banjo] The clock on the wall keeps terrible time Or maybe it’s me getting left behind Everybody’s moving like they know the steps I’m counting the spaces where your feet left There’s a band downtown playing something sweet And a man who keeps trying to dance with me I can follow his hands, I can follow the lights But I keep turning left when the whole room turns right [Pre-Chorus — alternating 7/8 and 4/4, hushed rhythmic counting, rising distortion] One, two, three, four Five, six, seven I used to know what came next Back when I thought love was heaven [Chorus — sudden 4/4, deep trip-hop groove, wide distorted slide guitar, haunting melodic female vocal] I’m one beat short of fine One step out of time Everybody’s got a rhythm I keep losing mine I’m all right, all right That’s the lie I tell tonight Got a heart that keeps on beating But it never lands on time Oh, I’m fine, fine, fine One beat short of fine [Verse 2 — return to 7/8, smoky whisper-sung cadence, syncopated bass] Your sister got married the middle of May I heard they played our song, I stayed away Not because I hated seeing somebody win I just couldn’t hear that melody again I took the long road past the county line Where the radio faded and the stars came alive I sat with the silence till a quarter past three And learned how loud an empty seat can be [Pre-Chorus — half-spoken, whispered count, bass falling behind the drums] One, two, three, four Five, six, seven I can count every mile But I can’t count on forgetting [Chorus — 4/4, heavier drums, layered smoky harmonies, restrained distorted guitars] I’m one beat short of fine One step out of time Everybody’s got a rhythm I keep losing mine I’m all right, all right That’s the lie I tell tonight Got a heart that keeps on beating But it never lands on time Oh, I’m fine, fine, fine One beat short of fine [Bridge — 5/4, stripped to heartbeat kick and low bass, almost entranced female whisper] Maybe healing ain’t a straight four-count Maybe some things never even out Maybe I can learn another way to move Without pretending I don’t miss you [Instrumental break — 7/8, detuned banjo against distorted slide guitar, dusty hip-hop percussion, one-beat rhythmic displacement] [Final Chorus — 4/4, intimate female lead, deep pulsing bass, emotionally exposed rather than triumphant] I’m one beat short of fine But I’m still keeping time Everybody’s got a rhythm Maybe I’ll find mine I’m all right, all right Not completely, not tonight Got a heart that keeps on beating Even when it falls behind Oh, I’m fine, fine, fine One beat short of fine [Ending — 7/8, whispered rhythmic counting over fading bass] One, two, three, four Five, six, seven… [One missing beat of silence] [Unresolved detuned slide guitar note]
