[Verse 1] My inbox opens before the blinds A thousand small fires, all marked urgent I trade my breakfast for deadline lines And wear the same shirt on purpose The group chat moved without my name Their weekend plans became old news I set the board beside the frame And wait for someone I can’t lose [Pre-Chorus] White square, black square, quiet room The clock keeps cutting through I know each move before it lands Still I don’t know what to do [Chorus] I play chess alone Two colors, one phone I check my own king Then answer my own call I work till the office hums And the last train has gone If friendship needs a little time I never seem to have one [Verse 2] A rook goes straight like my career A bishop bends around the truth The knight arrives from nowhere near The way old friends once used to do I leave one chair across the table For a laugh I can’t schedule in But every file marked “final” turns fatal And the morning starts again [Pre-Chorus] White square, black square, coffee stain The clock keeps counting down I built a fortress out of tasks Then wondered why no one comes around [Chorus] I play chess alone Two colors, one phone I check my own king Then answer my own call I work till the office hums And the last train has gone If friendship needs a little time I never seem to have one [Bridge] Tonight I push the laptop closed The room looks larger than before I move the black queen close to home And leave the white side wanting more Maybe a game is not a life Maybe a win can wait till noon I could text somebody “Are you free?” But the cursor blinks across the room [Final Chorus] I play chess alone Two colors, one phone No crowd, no throne Just a board beneath the cold lamp glow I worked till the office hums But the last train has gone If friendship needs a little time I’ll make a little time from now on [Outro] White square, black square, morning blue One empty chair, one opening move
