Tell Me the Small Stuff

[Intro — electric piano establishes a spare two-bar figure; quiet wordless harmony enters] [Verse 1 — close, conversational lead; steady drums and bass settle in] You text, “You up?” I write back, “Yeah.” You say, “It’s not a big thing.” Then list every little thing that went wrong since lunch: the boss, the bus, the bill due, the joke you wish you’d missed. I know the order of the story before you get to it. [Pre-Chorus — lead stays restrained; backing voices answer with soft wordless notes] You say, “I don’t know why I called.” I say, “You could just say hi.” (Ooh, ooh) You laugh like you’re surprised that didn’t take much time. [Chorus — plain, singable lead; close harmonies join on the title phrase] Tell me the small stuff Tell me what you liked Tell me what you bought On your way home tonight Tell me the small stuff Don’t wait till something breaks You don’t have to bring me Something I can fix [Verse 2 — same pulse; vocal phrases stretch slightly at line endings] Your sister said you got the job. I asked, “Why didn’t you say?” You said, “I figured you were busy.” I said, “I wasn’t that day.” You said, “I didn’t want to brag.” I said, “You wouldn’t have.” You could’ve called to tell me because you were glad. [Pre-Chorus — same backing response; bass moves one connecting note] You say, “I don’t know why I called.” I say, “You could just say hi.” (Ooh, ooh) You laugh like you’re surprised that didn’t take much time. [Chorus — harmonies widen slightly; groove stays level] Tell me the small stuff Tell me what you liked Tell me what you bought On your way home tonight Tell me the small stuff Don’t wait till something breaks You don’t have to bring me Something I can fix [Final Chorus — same melody; final couplet changes] Tell me the small stuff Tell me what you liked Tell me what you bought On your way home tonight Tell me the small stuff Don’t wait till something breaks You don’t have to bring me Anything to fix [Outro — drums fall away; lead and electric piano remain] You text, “You up?” I write back, “Yeah.” You say, “Nothing happened.” I say, “Tell me anyway.”