THE LAST DREAM BEFORE LANGUAGE

[Intro]
[NoMeter]
[NoKeyCenter]
[HumanBreathing]
[SoftHeartbeat]
[LowFemaleHum]
[DistantMaternalHumThroughWall]
[ScatteredWoodPercussion]
[NoWords]

Mm—

Ah—

Mm—

[Breath]

[Heartbeat]

[First Word]
[LowFemaleContralto]
[VerySoft]
[SinglePreparedPianoNote]

Light.

[Pause]

Light.

[WarmRoomTone]

[LightFades]

Light...

gone.

[PreparedPianoAnswers]

[Verse 1]
[PrimitiveLanguage]
[PreparedPiano]
[SparseWoodenPolyrhythm]
[NoFixedMeter]

Light gone.

Where?

Mama?

[MaternalHumAnswersDistantly]

There.

Mama there.

[Pause]

Mama...

gone.

[HeartbeatQuickensSlightly]

Where?

[Instrumental Development]
[PreparedPianoBeginsFindingPattern]
[PolyrhythmBecomesMoreOrganized]

[Verse 2]
[LanguageDeveloping]
[MelodicVoice]
[FirstSubBassTone]

My cup fell down
under the chair.

I couldn't see it.

Still there.

[Pause]

You left the room.

I couldn't see you.

Still there?

[MaternalHumReturns]

Still there.

[Pre-Chorus]
[FirstRecognizablePulse]
[SoftContralto]
[CuriousDelivery]

Things can be
where I can't see them.

Things can leave
and still be there.

I close my eyes.

The room stays.

I open them.

You are there.

[Instrumental Shift]
[PreparedPianoPatternLocksIntoTempo]
[SubBassDeepens]

[Verse 3]
[LanguageGrowing]
[GlitchFragmentsBegin]
[MechanicalTickVeryFaint]

This morning
there was rain.

I watched it
on the glass.

Now the window's dry.

Where did
the morning go?

[Pause]

You say:

"That was yesterday."

[MechanicalTickEnters]

Yesterday.

[WordEchoFragments]

...yesterday...
...yester...
...day...

[Time Section]
[GlitchElectronicaEmerges]
[MechanicalClockPulse]
[PreparedPianoBecomesRhythmic]

Yesterday.

A room
I was just in.

But the door locked
behind me.

[Pause]

Can we go back?

[Silence]

No.

[SingleCelloNote]

[Verse 4]
[SentencesLengthening]
[SubBass]
[FragmentedStrings]
[TimePulseStrengthens]

You tell me
we're going somewhere

tomorrow.

Another word.

Tomorrow.

When is that?

"After you sleep."

Where is it?

[Pause]

You smile.

You don't answer.

[Pre-Chorus 2]
[GlitchRhythmExpands]
[PreparedPianoAndCello]

Yesterday
has a door
that won't open.

Tomorrow
hasn't got one yet.

And somehow
I am standing

in the little space
between them.

[BriefDropout]

Now.

[SingleCleanPianoNote]

[Chorus]
[FirstStableMeter]
[ChamberArtPopEmerges]
[WarmNaturalChestVoice]
[NoRuns]

Nobody told me
learning the names of things

would teach me
which things I could lose.

Nobody told me
giving time a name

would cut the world
in two.

Before yesterday,
morning simply came.

Before tomorrow,
night was only night.

Now everything
has somewhere else to be.

Even light.

[Instrumental]
[MechanicalTick]
[GlitchFragments]
[CelloCountermelody]

[Verse 5]
[LanguageNearlyComplete]
[ArrangementIncreasinglyOrdered]

You put your shoes on
by the doorway.

"Where are you going?"

"Not far."

"When are you coming back?"

"Soon."

[Pause]

I know that word now.

Soon
isn't now.

There is before.

There is after.

And there is a word
people say

between them.

[EverythingStops]

[DryContralto]

Goodbye.

[LongSilence]

[Resolution]
[MechanicalTickStops]
[GlitchesDisappear]
[PreparedPianoTransformsIntoPureGrandPiano]
[SuddenLushStringQuartet]
[StackedLowContraltoVowels]
[FirstFullyResolvedHarmony]

Goodbye.

A word everybody knew

before they taught it
to me.

[Final Chorus]
[FullChamberArtPop]
[LowFemaleContralto]
[RestrainedSoulfulVoice]
[LushStringQuartet]
[LowWordlessVocalHarmony]

Now I know
that gone has edges.

I know memory
has a name.

I know calling
into an empty room

doesn't make
an answer come.

I know yesterday
has a door

that only opens
one way.

And tomorrow—

[Pause]

tomorrow is somewhere

nobody
can show me.

Nobody told me
learning the names of things

would teach me
which things I could lose.

[Deconstruction]
[HarmonyBeginsDissolving]
[StringsDisappear]
[SubBassDisappears]
[GrammarBreakingApart]

Before I knew "gone,"

things disappeared.

[PreparedPianoReturns]

Before I knew "yesterday,"

morning simply came.

[WoodPercussionReturnsWithoutMeter]

Before I knew "tomorrow,"

I slept.

[HeartbeatReturns]

Before I knew
"goodbye"—

[HardCut]

[Silence]

[Outro]
[NoMeter]
[NoHarmony]
[DistantMaternalHumThroughWall]
[SameRoomToneAsIntro]

Mm—

[LowSoftAnsweringHum]

Mm—

[Heartbeat]

[OneBreath]

[Silence]

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THE LAST DREAM BEFORE LANGUAGE [Intro] [NoMeter] [NoKeyCenter] [HumanBreathing] [SoftHeartbeat] [LowFemaleHum] [DistantMaternalHumThroughWall] [ScatteredWoodPercussion] [NoWords] Mm— Ah— Mm— [Breath] [Heartbeat] [First Word] [LowFemaleContralto] [VerySoft] [SinglePreparedPianoNote] Light. [Pause] Light. [WarmRoomTone] [LightFades] Light... gone. [PreparedPianoAnswers] [Verse 1] [PrimitiveLanguage] [PreparedPiano] [SparseWoodenPolyrhythm] [NoFixedMeter] Light gone. Where? Mama? [MaternalHumAnswersDistantly] There. Mama there. [Pause] Mama... gone. [HeartbeatQuickensSlightly] Where? [Instrumental Development] [PreparedPianoBeginsFindingPattern] [PolyrhythmBecomesMoreOrganized] [Verse 2] [LanguageDeveloping] [MelodicVoice] [FirstSubBassTone] My cup fell down under the chair. I couldn't see it. Still there. [Pause] You left the room. I couldn't see you. Still there? [MaternalHumReturns] Still there. [Pre-Chorus] [FirstRecognizablePulse] [SoftContralto] [CuriousDelivery] Things can be where I can't see them. Things can leave and still be there. I close my eyes. The room stays. I open them. You are there. [Instrumental Shift] [PreparedPianoPatternLocksIntoTempo] [SubBassDeepens] [Verse 3] [LanguageGrowing] [GlitchFragmentsBegin] [MechanicalTickVeryFaint] This morning there was rain. I watched it on the glass. Now the window's dry. Where did the morning go? [Pause] You say: "That was yesterday." [MechanicalTickEnters] Yesterday. [WordEchoFragments] ...yesterday... ...yester... ...day... [Time Section] [GlitchElectronicaEmerges] [MechanicalClockPulse] [PreparedPianoBecomesRhythmic] Yesterday. A room I was just in. But the door locked behind me. [Pause] Can we go back? [Silence] No. [SingleCelloNote] [Verse 4] [SentencesLengthening] [SubBass] [FragmentedStrings] [TimePulseStrengthens] You tell me we're going somewhere tomorrow. Another word. Tomorrow. When is that? "After you sleep." Where is it? [Pause] You smile. You don't answer. [Pre-Chorus 2] [GlitchRhythmExpands] [PreparedPianoAndCello] Yesterday has a door that won't open. Tomorrow hasn't got one yet. And somehow I am standing in the little space between them. [BriefDropout] Now. [SingleCleanPianoNote] [Chorus] [FirstStableMeter] [ChamberArtPopEmerges] [WarmNaturalChestVoice] [NoRuns] Nobody told me learning the names of things would teach me which things I could lose. Nobody told me giving time a name would cut the world in two. Before yesterday, morning simply came. Before tomorrow, night was only night. Now everything has somewhere else to be. Even light. [Instrumental] [MechanicalTick] [GlitchFragments] [CelloCountermelody] [Verse 5] [LanguageNearlyComplete] [ArrangementIncreasinglyOrdered] You put your shoes on by the doorway. "Where are you going?" "Not far." "When are you coming back?" "Soon." [Pause] I know that word now. Soon isn't now. There is before. There is after. And there is a word people say between them. [EverythingStops] [DryContralto] Goodbye. [LongSilence] [Resolution] [MechanicalTickStops] [GlitchesDisappear] [PreparedPianoTransformsIntoPureGrandPiano] [SuddenLushStringQuartet] [StackedLowContraltoVowels] [FirstFullyResolvedHarmony] Goodbye. A word everybody knew before they taught it to me. [Final Chorus] [FullChamberArtPop] [LowFemaleContralto] [RestrainedSoulfulVoice] [LushStringQuartet] [LowWordlessVocalHarmony] Now I know that gone has edges. I know memory has a name. I know calling into an empty room doesn't make an answer come. I know yesterday has a door that only opens one way. And tomorrow— [Pause] tomorrow is somewhere nobody can show me. Nobody told me learning the names of things would teach me which things I could lose. [Deconstruction] [HarmonyBeginsDissolving] [StringsDisappear] [SubBassDisappears] [GrammarBreakingApart] Before I knew "gone," things disappeared. [PreparedPianoReturns] Before I knew "yesterday," morning simply came. [WoodPercussionReturnsWithoutMeter] Before I knew "tomorrow," I slept. [HeartbeatReturns] Before I knew "goodbye"— [HardCut] [Silence] [Outro] [NoMeter] [NoHarmony] [DistantMaternalHumThroughWall] [SameRoomToneAsIntro] Mm— [LowSoftAnsweringHum] Mm— [Heartbeat] [OneBreath] [Silence]

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