Before I Speak

[Intro | 4 bars only | E minor pedal | solo low cello ostinato E-G-B | ticking metal percussion] [Verse 1 | Em - A/E - Em - A/E | male baritone | half-spoken | close-mic | dry] Cold water. Straight collar. Seven steps from the mirror to the door. The shirt goes on like a sentence I have not said yet. Top button. Pause. Second button. Breath. [Pre-Chorus | C - D - Bm - C | viola joins the ostinato | tension by repetition] Pull it tight pull it tight not too tight the knot should hold, not hide [Chorus | Em - C - G - D | open full voice | never shouted | choir pads] They'll read me before I speak The cloth goes first the words come late They'll read me before I speak So let it say what I mean [Verse 2 | Em - A/E - Em - A/E | half-spoken | analog sub bass enters] Dark wool. Clean line. Nobody told the jacket who I am. I tell it now and it believes me. [Chorus | half chorus | Em - C - G - D | low brass swells] They'll read me before I speak So let it say what I mean [Bridge | Am - C - Am - B | strings drop out | only sub bass and breath | spoken, intimate] Not a costume. Not a shield. So which one of me am I putting on today? [Break | full stop | one beat of silence] [Final Chorus | KEY LIFT TO E MAJOR | E - C#m - A - B | choir opens | brass swell | warm, still controlled] They'll read me before I speak And this time it's TRUE They'll read me before I speak The cloth and I AGREE [Outro | 2 bars | E major chord | cello alone | short fade] [End]