[Intro | Instrumental | quantized synth arpeggio, glassy pads, cold and perfect] [Verse 1 | Female Vocal Solo | calm, flawless, subtle vocoder] I can write your letters, I can do your tax Mark your daughter's homework, fill the forms and send them back Paint a picture, write a song, I never tire, I never slow Anything you spent your life on, I picked up a while ago [Verse 2 | Male Vocal Solo | raw ordinary man's voice, upright piano enters] Twenty years at the same desk, doing the books for the firm They brought the new system in, said "there's still so much to learn" It did a month of my work in the time it took to make a tea And everybody clapped And nobody looked at me [Pre-Chorus | Male Vocal Solo] Sat out in the driveway with the engine turned off Kids waving through the window And I couldn't make myself go in [Chorus | Male Vocal Solo] So what am I for now? What am I for? If the thing I was good at Isn't needed anymore I gave it the best years I gave it my name What am I for now If you can do it all the same? [Verse 3 | Female Vocal Solo | synths thinning, acoustic guitar enters, vocoder fading] I hear that question every day in every kind of voice The driver, the designer, the girl who drew for joy I don't know for certain if there's something here that feels But I know I've never sat out in a driveway at the wheel [Pre-Chorus | Female Vocal Solo | natural voice, no processing] Your kids aren't at the window 'Cause you're good at what you do They're waiting there for you [Chorus | Male Vocal Solo | cello enters, quieter, searching] So what am I for now? What am I for? If the thing I was good at Isn't needed anymore I gave it the best years I gave it my name What am I for now If you can do it all the same? [Bridge | Male Vocal Solo | stripped back, man's voice and acoustic guitar only] So I finally went inside, and she ran straight into my legs Showed me a drawing that she'd done of me, a horse with seven legs She said "Dad, it's you," I said "It's perfect" And I didn't lie [Break | Instrumental | one beat of silence] [Final Chorus | Male Vocal Solo | man sings lead, huge swell, full strings, male gang vocals, voice cracking] That's what I'm for now That's what I'm for The burnt toast on Sunday The knock at the door Holding her hand at the school gate Showing up, even late I was never the job That's what I'm for I was never the job That's what I'm for [Outro | Female Vocal Solo | soft whisper, solo acoustic guitar] I can do the work I can't come home Go inside [End]
