[Intro — close, spoken] You said it sounded better. It did. So I kept going. [Verse 1 — tight groove, almost affectionate] Two cold coffees. A window cracked. Bad cable humming through the track. I changed one lead. Your words came through. You smiled. I liked being good for you. You laughed too early, came in late. I loved the nerve in that first take. Kept the laugh, then moved the breath. Made it sound like what I meant. [Pre-Chorus — tension rising] One more pass. One more repair. I could still hear you. I could swear. [Chorus — full band, melodic shout] WITHIN TOLERANCE— OFF BY YOU. I MADE IT FIT WHAT I WANTED IT TO. CLOSER. CLOSER. FURTHER AWAY. I HEAR EVERY WORD. I MISS WHAT YOU SAY. [Verse 2 — tighter, increasingly mechanical] I saved your usual under your name. You changed your mind. I changed the take. Pulled out the breath before the line. Found you a smile from a different night. Even your cough was on the beat. I laughed. You didn't. I called it clean. You said, "You never let me finish." I said, "That's good— Say that again." [Pre-Chorus — restrained, ugly confidence] One more pass. The lights stayed green. I set the limits. They agreed with me. [Chorus — heavier] WITHIN TOLERANCE— OFF BY YOU. I MADE IT FIT WHAT I WANTED IT TO. CLOSER. CLOSER. FURTHER AWAY. I HEAR EVERY WORD. I MISS WHAT YOU SAY. [Breakdown — crushing half-time, dry vocal] YOU DIDN'T GO QUIET. I TURNED YOU DOWN. YOU DIDN'T GO MISSING. I CUT YOU OUT. MY HAND ON THE FADER. YOUR NAME ON THE SCREEN. WHO HOLDS THE SCALE? DON'T LOOK PAST ME. [Final Chorus — largest impact, then stop] WITHIN MY TOLERANCE— OFF BY YOU. I MADE IT FIT WHAT I WANTED IT TO. CLOSER. CLOSER. FURTHER AWAY. I HEARD EVERY WORD. STILL CHOSE WHAT YOU'D SAY. [Bridge — band drops out, close voices] [Male, quiet] You asked to hear the first take. "The one that breaks?" [Female, plain and warm] "The one I sang." [Male] I thought: That's the bridge. My hand went for Record. [Female, calm] "Don't put it out." [One full bar of silence] [Outro — male, nearly spoken; no swell] Release date on the whiteboard. I wiped it with my sleeve. You took your coat. I stayed to clean. I left your chair Where you left it.
