The Present

musette (French café waltz), chanson française, vintage accordion jazz

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V5.5

[Spoken Intro]
A point has no width,
yet we build a world upon it.
A moment cannot stay,
yet we call it now.

[interlude]

[Verse 1]
I tried to hold the present
between my finger and my thumb,
but it vanished into motion
before the word had come.

A perfect point in silence,
no border, no delay,
yet every grief and wonder
leans its weight on today.

[interlude]

[Pre-Chorus]
Past is ash in memory,
future is a door,
and now—
now is a blade of water
breaking on the shore.

[interlude]

[Chorus]
The present has no width,
but it carries all my life.
A zero made of breathing,
a thin and shining knife.

I cannot keep it still,
I cannot make it stay,
but I can feel it passing
through the shape of me today.

[interlude]

[Verse 2]
A line is made of points
that no hand can divide,
and I am made of moments
that dissolve while I reside.

I call this place my body,
I call this breath my own,
but every name I give it
is a wave around a stone.

[interlude]

[Pre-Chorus 2]
If pain is only moving,
then pain is not a cage.
If joy is only flowing,
then love is not possession.

Maybe I was never standing
in a fixed and final room,
only learning how to blossom
inside something that cannot bloom.

[interlude]

[Chorus]
The present has no width,
but it carries all my life.
A zero made of breathing,
a thin and shining knife.

I cannot keep it still,
I cannot make it stay,
but I can feel it passing
through the shape of me today.

[interlude]

[Bridge]
So let me watch the thought arise,
let me see it fall.
Let me name the storm inside,
without becoming all.

Let me love the fragile world
without asking it to last.
Let the future change the meaning
of the stories I called past.

[interlude]

[Final Chorus]
The present has no width,
yet it opens like the sea.
A point without a body,
still heavy inside me.

I cannot keep it still,
I cannot make it mine,
but I can meet it softly
at the edge of passing time.

[interlude]

[Outro]
Past is gone,
future sleeps,
now is only
what the river keeps.

No width, no wall,
no place to stay—
only light
learning how to pass away.

2072/7500

[Spoken Intro] A point has no width, yet we build a world upon it. A moment cannot stay, yet we call it now. [interlude] [Verse 1] I tried to hold the present between my finger and my thumb, but it vanished into motion before the word had come. A perfect point in silence, no border, no delay, yet every grief and wonder leans its weight on today. [interlude] [Pre-Chorus] Past is ash in memory, future is a door, and now— now is a blade of water breaking on the shore. [interlude] [Chorus] The present has no width, but it carries all my life. A zero made of breathing, a thin and shining knife. I cannot keep it still, I cannot make it stay, but I can feel it passing through the shape of me today. [interlude] [Verse 2] A line is made of points that no hand can divide, and I am made of moments that dissolve while I reside. I call this place my body, I call this breath my own, but every name I give it is a wave around a stone. [interlude] [Pre-Chorus 2] If pain is only moving, then pain is not a cage. If joy is only flowing, then love is not possession. Maybe I was never standing in a fixed and final room, only learning how to blossom inside something that cannot bloom. [interlude] [Chorus] The present has no width, but it carries all my life. A zero made of breathing, a thin and shining knife. I cannot keep it still, I cannot make it stay, but I can feel it passing through the shape of me today. [interlude] [Bridge] So let me watch the thought arise, let me see it fall. Let me name the storm inside, without becoming all. Let me love the fragile world without asking it to last. Let the future change the meaning of the stories I called past. [interlude] [Final Chorus] The present has no width, yet it opens like the sea. A point without a body, still heavy inside me. I cannot keep it still, I cannot make it mine, but I can meet it softly at the edge of passing time. [interlude] [Outro] Past is gone, future sleeps, now is only what the river keeps. No width, no wall, no place to stay— only light learning how to pass away.

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