[Intro | 8 bars; buoyant electronic pop-rock, friendship melody on an eager synth; picked bass and crisp drums enter beneath layered guitars] [Verse 1: Narrator | 16 bars; nimble sung narration, clipped guitar chords and playful synth replies; growing enthusiasm] Dart played the song they'd argued over, Then played the part he'd used to skip. The chorus stopped him halfway through an answer; He forgot the clever ending he had picked. Tristan came to see what all the fuss was; Dart had three explanations underway. He had another song he had to show him, And another thing he couldn't wait to say. [Pre-Chorus 1: Narrator | 4 bars; rising synth figure, guitar chords widen; excitement acquires a trace of uncertainty] He was pleased before they'd even started, Then worried that he'd chosen something wrong. [Chorus: Narrator and ensemble | 12 bars; broad pop-rock melody, buoyant harmonies; the title is a phrase Dart rehearses in private] "I love you." He tried the words in private. "I love you." They seemed to fit the way A casual hello could make him giddy, And a short goodbye could spoil his day. [Post-Chorus | 4 bars; friendship melody at its full length, then compressed into one bar; synth and guitar trade the phrase] [Verse 2: Narrator | 16 bars; animated delivery, increasingly busy sequencer, bass anticipates the drums; small events provoke large reactions] He saved a question for Tristan's return, Then thought of six before the door had shut. He wanted to be funny, then was frightened That a joke he'd made had somehow been too much. Tristan only paused to find his charger. Dart had already doubted every word. Relief arrived before an explanation, And sent him talking faster than before. [Pre-Chorus 2: Narrator | 4 bars; denser synth accents, rising vocal urgency, brief pause before the chorus] He tried to sort the joy from the anxiety. They kept arriving with the same familiar name. [Chorus: Narrator and ensemble | 12 bars; fuller harmonies, more urgent guitars, offbeat synth counterpoint beneath the repeated title] "I love you." He tried the words in private. "I love you." They seemed to fit the way A casual hello could make him giddy, And a short goodbye could spoil his day. [Bridge: Narrator | 8 bars; half-time drums, softer guitar and sustained keys; steady narration while the accompaniment grows uneasy] Tristan listened as he'd always listened, Made his jokes and went about his day. Dart gave each kindness new importance And read the welcome in a different way. [Instrumental | 8 bars; friendship melody accelerates through shorter note values; synth figures overlap, guitars broaden, percussion grows restless] [Final Chorus: Narrator and ensemble | 12 bars; exuberant lead, anxious synth counterpoint, full pop-rock arrangement; keep the title tender] "I love you." He'd found the name he'd give it. "I love you." And he could almost say How a casual hello could make him giddy, How a short goodbye could spoil his day. [Coda: Narrator | 8 bars; instruments ease back, intimate sung narration; a quick synth pattern continues beneath the calmer delivery] He put three words beneath a simple greeting, Moved them to the top, then down again. By morning, he was sure that this was love And looking for a way to tell his friend. [Outro | 4 bars; friendship melody returns once in full; leave the final suspended chord unresolved, with a gentle decay]
