A Relationship That Never Had A Chance To Begi

[Intro — Rhodes piano and upright bass, spoken low and slow] You wanted a woman who would clap when you talked… A soft place to land your loud opinions… You mistook my warmth for softness… Baby, that was your first mistake. --- [Verse 1 — Rhodes, bass, brushed drums enter light] You walked in with a story you’d already written Casting me in a role I never read Pretty little quiet girl who’d clap for your genius Sit there and nod at everything you said But I’m not the woman in your fantasy I’m the one who sees what you refuse to see I told you the truth in the softest voice I own And you called me mean for not leaving you alone --- [Pre-Chorus — bass walks up, Rhodes swells] You wanted a mirror That only reflected your face I gave you a mirror That reflected the whole damn place --- [Chorus — full band opens, warm background vocals faint] This wasn’t love, this was a rehearsal For a play that never opened, never had a chance You wanted an audience, I wanted a partner We were never gonna finish the dance Some relationships don’t end Because they never had a chance to begin You needed a stage I was building a home And a home is not a stage And I was never gonna be your audience alone --- [Verse 2 — softer, intimate] You’d talk for hours to your phone in your hand Then get mad when I finally picked up mine Demanded my attention on your schedule Called me cold when I wouldn’t drop everything on a dime You had a radio show about the chaos in your life Never once looked at the mouth the chaos came from Every word you spoke was a seed you planted Then you cried when the garden wouldn’t bloom --- [Pre-Chorus 2] You wanted a mirror That only reflected your face I gave you a mirror That reflected the whole damn place --- [Chorus — bigger, brushed drums press forward] This wasn’t love, this was a rehearsal For a play that never opened, never had a chance You wanted an audience, I wanted a partner We were never gonna finish the dance Some relationships don’t end Because they never had a chance to begin You needed a stage I was building a home And a home is not a stage And I was never gonna be your audience alone --- [Bridge — band drops out, upright bass and voice only, spoken with edge] You said I was mean I was clear There’s a difference, and small men can’t tell them apart You said I was cold I was full Of every warmth I saved for someone who could hold it You said I was distant I was sovereign Standing in my own house with my own name on the door And the last thing I said to you, baby — I said it flat, I said it once, And I meant every syllable — (whispered, one breath) Your ego was never welcomed in my home. (pause — bass note holds) That’s why you never came back. You finally heard me. --- [Final Chorus — key change up a half-step to E-flat minor, warm horns enter] This wasn’t love, this was a rehearsal For a play that never opened, never had a chance You wanted an audience, I wanted a partner We were never gonna finish the dance Some relationships don’t end Because they never had a chance to begin You wanted the throne I was building the kingdom And the kingdom don’t answer to a man Who never earned his way in --- [Outro — muted trumpet enters, Rhodes fades, voice close to the mic] I’m not mad at you, baby I’m just clear The mirror I held was the kindest thing you ever got You just weren’t ready To be seen And that’s not my weight to carry That’s not my house to clean That’s not my dance to finish That’s not my throne to give (one bass note, one Rhodes chord, muted trumpet holds, fade)