[Intro - Solo Euphonium, Warm Wooden Room, Natural Breath and Valve Noise] [Instrumental - Sparse, Intimate, Bittersweet] [Verse 1 - Low Husky Female Vocal, Breath-Rich, Close-Mic, Short Natural Phrases] I always felt A little out of tune I thought I had it right As I walked along Whenever I heard Somebody else's sound I'd play a little high Or play a little low When did I lose The sound that was my own? [Pre-Chorus - Sparse Piano Enters, Cello Sustains, Euphonium Answers Vocal] I take a breath And play one note Not quite right I stop again I've gotten good At doing that [Chorus - Restrained Low-Register Vocal, Small Chamber Ensemble Expands Gently] Still not quite in tune No matter what I do The days I played too high The days I played too low Maybe all of them Were notes that came from me Let me stay A little longer Listening For the next note [Interlude - Expressive Euphonium Solo, Sparse Piano and Cello, Natural Room Decay] [Verse 2 - Close-Mic Husky Vocal, Audible Natural Breathing, Gentle Phrasing] On the pages left behind The marks I tried to erase The notes I got so wrong Are the ones I still recall What if I had played A different note that day? I think of it now And smile a little [Pre-Chorus 2 - Clarinet Enters Softly, Sparse Chamber Counterpoint] I breathe out slow And listen close Somewhere far away Another sound I didn't have to match it To hear it all along [Chorus 2 - Deeper Feeling, Restrained Dynamics, Euphonium Countermelody] Still not quite in tune Even now, not quite in tune The notes that never reached The notes that went too far When they fade away Do they sound the same? And still, somehow I want to try once more Take one breath And play again [Bridge - Arrangement Thins, Voice and Euphonium Nearly Alone, Long Pauses] I used to think There was a perfect note If I could match it I could finally rest But then After all this time I finally understood I wasn't the only one Who played a little wrong [Final Chorus - Full Small Chamber Ensemble, Restrained Emotional Peak, No Belting] Still not quite in tune [Short Breath] ...Well, that's alright The days I played too high The days I played too low We made it all this way Playing side by side It wasn't a perfect sound But it was ours to play And maybe this Is my own sound [Outro - Instruments Gradually Leave, Vocal Returns to Intimate Close-Mic] I take one more Quiet breath Inside this room One single note Is all that's left [Brief Silence] ...Still a little Out of tune [Final Euphonium Note - Warm, Soft, Long Natural Decay, No Vocal] [End]
