Title: "Half a Goodbye" --- [Intro: (Soft electric piano, vinyl crackle, mic picking up small noises)] **(Muffled voice, like an old voicemail.)** "Uh… hey. You there?" "Guess not. It’s fine." **(Pause. Deep breath. Then, softly:)** "Anyway…" **(Beat fades in, lazy drums, light jazz guitar.)** --- [Verse 1: (Spoken-sung, loose, trailing off)] Been a while since I felt alright, Streetlights blink like a warning sign. Left your keys where you used to sleep, Guess a part of me still believes. **(Bass hums in, chords bend slightly out of tune.)** I don’t call, but I check my phone, Can’t delete what I should’ve known. Guess I’ll keep all the words inside, ‘Cause we’re better off in half a goodbye… --- [Chorus: (Layered, washed-out falsetto)] "Hold me close, but don’t let me know," "Leave a note, but don’t let it show." "If you stay, do you stay the same?" "Or do you leave like you always came?" --- [Refrain: (Distant vocal echoes, barely-there harmonies)] "Say my name (Oh, oh, oh… don’t go…)" "Say my name (Oh, oh, oh… too slow…)" "Say my name (Oh, oh, oh… you know…)" "Say my name (Oh, oh, oh… don’t go…)" --- [Verse 2: (Lazy delivery, hazy atmosphere, subtle tension)] Water drips from the old A/C, Sounds like the way you used to speak. Filling space with a quiet hum, Like a song I knew but now it’s numb. **(Drums slow, lo-fi tape fuzz increases.)** Maybe one day I’ll let this slip, Let the words fall off my lips. But for now, it’s just the way it lies, Better off in half a goodbye… --- [Chorus: (More broken, offbeat timing, strained vocals)] "Hold me close, but don’t let me know," "Leave a note, but don’t let it show." "If you stay, do you stay the same?" "Or do you leave like you always came?" --- [Bridge: (Softly spoken, like a confession)] **(Breath catches, voice nearly cracks.)** "Didn’t mean to call—" "Didn’t mean to say your name." "Didn’t mean to care—" "Guess it happens all the same." --- [Outro: (Electric piano solo, vinyl crackle, mic picking up soft breathing)] **(Faint humming, voice fading out like an old radio signal.)** "If you go… guess I’ll know…" **(Click. Tape stops.)**