[Verse 1] You came to get your winter coat, the blue one hanging in the hall. I’d checked the pockets twice that week for reasons you might need to call. You asked me how the boiler worked, then caught yourself and gave a smile. I said, “It only sticks sometimes.” We stood there talking pipes a while. Your taxi blinked against the glass. You folded up your collar twice. I nearly asked if you had eaten. I said, “They’re waiting just outside.” [Pre-Chorus] You laid the spare key on the table, careful not to make a sound. I watched your hand instead of asking if we could sit back down. [Chorus] Leave the key beside the door. I won’t need it anymore. That’s the sentence I rehearsed; here’s the part I can’t get through: I can learn to live alone. I don’t want to learn it yet. Leave the key beside the door— I’ll let you know when I mean it. [Instrumental Break] [Verse 2] I told our friends you wouldn’t listen. They filled my glass and took my side. I left out how you’d ask what hurt and I’d say “nothing” every time. You learned to read the cupboard doors, the way I put away a plate. I called it love when you could tell. I called you cold when you were late. You weren’t gentle every evening. I wasn’t wrong to need you there. But I kept setting you a table with a test beneath your chair. [Pre-Chorus] You asked me once for plain instructions. I said, “You shouldn’t have to ask.” Now I can say exactly what I needed to the room that heard us last. [Chorus] Leave the key beside the door. I won’t need it anymore. That’s the sentence I rehearsed; here’s the part I can’t get through: I can learn to live alone. I don’t want to learn it yet. Leave the key beside the door— I’ll let you know when I mean it. [Bridge - stripped back] There was a night you wore that coat and sat beside me on the bed. You asked me, “Do you want me here?” I watched the ceiling instead. I used to tell that story like you chose to walk away. You gave me time to answer. I wanted you to make me say— Stay. [Final Chorus] Leave the key beside the door. You don’t need it anymore. There’s a sentence I can finish; there’s a truth I owe to you: I was asking you to stay every time I turned away. Leave the key beside the door. You can go. I mean it. [Outro - voice and piano] The boiler stopped on Sunday. I found the number on the side. He asked when I’d be home. I said, “Tomorrow, after five.”
