PASSING IN THE KITCHEN You want coffee? It's already made. Yeah... I know. Six-thirty in the morning, the sink's full again You're packing up lunches, I'm looking for something The oldest needs her backpack, the middle needs a shoe The baby's talking nonsense like she always likes to do You tell me there's a field trip, I tell you rent is due We know the whole week's schedule, but what's going on with you? I move around your coffee, you step around my chair We've gotten good at moving like the other isn't there Your shoulder brushes mine reaching for a plate We used to make a moment out of touching that way Now we both say, "Excuse me," and move on with the day Funny how a little word can say so much that way We can tell by footsteps Who's coming down the stairs But I can't tell what's on your mind And I don't know if you care Passing in the kitchen Like we're late for separate lives You ask if I got dinner I ask what time you'll arrive Passing in the kitchen Close enough to touch, too far to reach We talk about a hundred little things But never you and me You and me, you and me All these words, nothing underneath Passing in the kitchen You and me There's a drawing on the fridge with five smiling faces Held there by a magnet that you made ages ago You kiss the youngest's forehead, I sweep up the cereal We laugh when she knocks the whole bowl to the floor You still know when my head hurts I still know when you've had a day I leave your favorite mug out You leave my keys where they won't get misplaced So I don't think we stopped caring That's the part I can't explain How we can look after each other While everything between us starts to change You ask if we've paid the rent I ask if you've eaten today We keep finding ways to say we care Without saying what we need to say We know how to keep this house From falling at the seams But somewhere in the doing We stopped asking what we need Passing in the kitchen Like we're late for separate lives You ask if I got dinner I ask what time you'll arrive Passing in the kitchen Close enough to touch, too far to reach We talk about a hundred little things But never you and me You and me, you and me All these words, nothing underneath Passing in the kitchen You and me Remember when we couldn't Get enough of being alone? Now we get a minute... And we don't know what to do with it. I almost ask you if you're happy You almost ask me if I'm fine Then somebody calls for water And we say we'll talk another time No slammed doors, no broken dishes No big scene, no final line Just a thousand conversations Where we leave ourselves behind And I still look for you in the morning Still know your footsteps in the dark Don't know when we stopped being lovers And started playing different parts Passing in the kitchen Like we're late for separate lives You ask if I got dinner I ask what time you'll arrive Passing in the kitchen Close enough to touch, too far to reach We talk about a hundred little things But never you and me You and me, you and me All these words, nothing underneath Passing in the kitchen You and me Hey... You need anything? Okay.
