Lyrics
[Verse 1] You leave your coat on the kitchen chair Rain in the seams, cold in the air A paper receipt from the corner store Turns in the draft by the half-closed door I count the steps that you never take Measure the silence for old time’s sake Your coffee cup wears a rust-colored ring Small evidence of everything [Pre-Chorus] Don’t say you’re coming back Don’t make the room believe I know the shape of absence By the way it makes me breathe [Chorus] Stay near, stay near Though your hands are gone I keep one lamp burning Till the dark gives up its hold Stay near, stay near In the places we outgrew I can hear the floorboards turning Every time I think of you [Verse 2] The elevator sighs on the seventh floor Someone laughs behind the neighbor’s door A blue bus drags its tired light Across the wall and out of sight I found your note beneath the glass Three crooked words and a strip of brass From the key you left beside the sink I read it once, then tried not to think [Pre-Chorus] Don’t say you’re coming back Don’t make the room believe I know the shape of absence By the way it makes me breathe [Chorus] Stay near, stay near Though your hands are gone I keep one lamp burning Till the dark gives up its hold Stay near, stay near In the places we outgrew I can hear the floorboards turning Every time I think of you [Bridge] If I open every window Will the old air leave the walls? If I name the things I’m missing Will they answer when I call? No, I won’t ask the morning To return what night withdrew I’ll let the room grow quiet Without making it about you [Final Chorus] Stay near, stay near Not because you’re mine But because some doors stay open Long after we leave them behind Stay near, stay near Till the last small sound is through I can hear my own heart turning And it isn’t calling you [Outro] The cup is dry, the chair is clear The hallway settles, minute by minute I breathe once more And let you disappear
