Right in Front of You

Soul trip-hop with avant-garde edges; three-register doo-wop croon, intimate and layered, over a driving syncopated breakbeat around 135 BPM; strong forward momentum, punchy drums, active bass movement, rhythmic urgency, not a ballad; grainy vocal sampling and dusty tape texture; Rhodes electric piano with suspended chords and echoing accents; tight compact arrangement, short phrasing, vocals start immediately, continuous drive, hard ending

[Intro — tremolo clean guitar, dry drums, tense pulse, low smoky vocal]

Look at me.
Say something.
Anything. (I'm still here.)

[Verse 1 — warm bass, driving breakbeat, low husky vocal, tight phrasing]

You move around the room
like I was never there.
Coffee getting cold.
(My jacket on the chair.)

You sleep on your side now.
Mine stays untouched.
I stand right beside you—
why is that too much?

I had things to tell you.
Damn it, I had years.
Things I kept for later.
There was always later.
Wasn't there?

[Pre-Chorus — Rhodes enters, snare pushes, rising tension]

Look at me.
Talk to me.
How the hell did we get here?
When did you stop seeing me?

[Chorus — full band, strings behind, low smoky vocal, same register as verse]

Look at me.
Talk to me. (Talk to me.)
Why can't you hear me?
Come back to me. (Stay with me.)
Why can't you see me?
Don't let me go.
I'm still here. (Right here.)
And you don't even know.

[Verse 2 — pulse continues, Rhodes and bass, low husky vocal, tight phrasing]

I should've kissed you longer.
I should've let things go.
Should've said (I love you)
every damn time I thought so.

I wanted mornings.
I wanted years.
I wanted ordinary.
That's the part that hurts.

[Pre-Chorus 2 — snare builds, wah guitar enters, rising tension]

I'm standing right beside you.
Why do you hold my photograph
like you're trying to survive it?
Why does everyone say my name
so quietly?

[Chorus 2 — bigger band, layered low vocals, strings, compact]

Look at me.
Talk to me.
Why can't you hear me?
Come back to me.
Stay with me.
Why can't you see me?
And you don't even know.

[Bridge — driving breakbeat continues, syncopated drums and bass locked in, Rhodes stabs on the offbeat, tense low vocal, tight phrasing, no slowdown, no pause]

You walk through the doorway, I follow.
You close it, I don't.
You whisper my name with your face in your hands.
I answer. Nothing.
I touch your shoulder. Nothing.
Look at me.

You didn't leave.
You never left.
Oh God. It was me.

[Break — Rhodes and strings, steady pulse, close husky vocal, stunned]

I'm the photograph.
I'm the empty side.
I'm the name
they lower their voices to say.
And I've been standing here
asking why you left me...
when I was the one
who disappeared.

[Post-Bridge — drums push forward, driving bass, tense and controlled]

No.
No, no, no.
I had more to say.
More to fix.
I wanted to get old
and get sick of your face.
But wanting it
doesn't make me alive.

[Final Verse— full driving pulse, syncopated drums and bass locked in, Hammond organ and sweeping strings, low smoky vocal, tight phrasing, continuous]

Don't look at me. (Don't look at me.)
You can't see me.
Now I know why.
Don't answer me.
You can't hear me.
God, I know why.
You're still holding on.
I'm the one who's gone.
I was right here.
But not the way I thought I was.

[Final Chorus— continuous rhythmic delivery, drums and bass present, tight phrasing]

So this is what happened.
The room is still here.
You're still here. (I'm not.)
And all those words I kept for later...
there is no later.
I don't want to leave.
I wasn't waiting for you to come back.
I was waiting to realize... (I can't.)
Not because you stopped loving me.
Because I wasn't there.
I'm not there.
And now... I know.
(I know.I know.I know.)

3265/7500

[Intro — tremolo clean guitar, dry drums, tense pulse, low smoky vocal] Look at me. Say something. Anything. (I'm still here.) [Verse 1 — warm bass, driving breakbeat, low husky vocal, tight phrasing] You move around the room like I was never there. Coffee getting cold. (My jacket on the chair.) You sleep on your side now. Mine stays untouched. I stand right beside you— why is that too much? I had things to tell you. Damn it, I had years. Things I kept for later. There was always later. Wasn't there? [Pre-Chorus — Rhodes enters, snare pushes, rising tension] Look at me. Talk to me. How the hell did we get here? When did you stop seeing me? [Chorus — full band, strings behind, low smoky vocal, same register as verse] Look at me. Talk to me. (Talk to me.) Why can't you hear me? Come back to me. (Stay with me.) Why can't you see me? Don't let me go. I'm still here. (Right here.) And you don't even know. [Verse 2 — pulse continues, Rhodes and bass, low husky vocal, tight phrasing] I should've kissed you longer. I should've let things go. Should've said (I love you) every damn time I thought so. I wanted mornings. I wanted years. I wanted ordinary. That's the part that hurts. [Pre-Chorus 2 — snare builds, wah guitar enters, rising tension] I'm standing right beside you. Why do you hold my photograph like you're trying to survive it? Why does everyone say my name so quietly? [Chorus 2 — bigger band, layered low vocals, strings, compact] Look at me. Talk to me. Why can't you hear me? Come back to me. Stay with me. Why can't you see me? And you don't even know. [Bridge — driving breakbeat continues, syncopated drums and bass locked in, Rhodes stabs on the offbeat, tense low vocal, tight phrasing, no slowdown, no pause] You walk through the doorway, I follow. You close it, I don't. You whisper my name with your face in your hands. I answer. Nothing. I touch your shoulder. Nothing. Look at me. You didn't leave. You never left. Oh God. It was me. [Break — Rhodes and strings, steady pulse, close husky vocal, stunned] I'm the photograph. I'm the empty side. I'm the name they lower their voices to say. And I've been standing here asking why you left me... when I was the one who disappeared. [Post-Bridge — drums push forward, driving bass, tense and controlled] No. No, no, no. I had more to say. More to fix. I wanted to get old and get sick of your face. But wanting it doesn't make me alive. [Final Verse— full driving pulse, syncopated drums and bass locked in, Hammond organ and sweeping strings, low smoky vocal, tight phrasing, continuous] Don't look at me. (Don't look at me.) You can't see me. Now I know why. Don't answer me. You can't hear me. God, I know why. You're still holding on. I'm the one who's gone. I was right here. But not the way I thought I was. [Final Chorus— continuous rhythmic delivery, drums and bass present, tight phrasing] So this is what happened. The room is still here. You're still here. (I'm not.) And all those words I kept for later... there is no later. I don't want to leave. I wasn't waiting for you to come back. I was waiting to realize... (I can't.) Not because you stopped loving me. Because I wasn't there. I'm not there. And now... I know. (I know.I know.I know.)

0/500