THE QUIET BETWEEN THE HOUSES

[Intro – 16 bars] [Soft harmonium drone, distant street hum, guitar picking a slow falling pattern] [Verse 1] There’s a quiet in the space between the houses Where your laughter used to echo off the stone I still walk the long way past the river Just to feel a little less alone [Chorus] And I keep searching for the warmth you left In the corners of the cold northwest If the night draws in, I’ll follow the sound Of the quiet between the houses where you’re found [Verse 2] Your scarf still folded on the hallway railing Holding winter like a memory in the threads I light a candle by the window nightly Hoping it might guide you home instead [Chorus Intro] Maybe love is just a fragile flame But it still burns softly when I speak your name [Chorus] And I keep searching for the warmth you left In the corners of the cold northwest If the night draws in, I’ll follow the sound Of the quiet between the houses where you’re found [Bridge] I’m learning how to stand without your shadow Learning how to breathe in open air But every time the frost begins to settle I swear I feel your footsteps there [Final Chorus] So I keep searching for the warmth you left In the corners of the cold northwest If the night draws in, I’ll follow the sound Of the quiet between the houses where you’re found [Outro – 8 bars] [Glockenspiel traces the chorus motif; strings fade like a slow exhale]