PARENTHESES (2007)
(v1)
There's a half a moment
Between the drinks and the deck
And you think she noticed
But there's no time to check
The shadows the lights make
Are strange and abstract
She makes a joke
Just to watch you react
(v2)
You stand in a shadow
The party goes on
You move to the light
And her shadow has gone
There's a breath that you took
That you'll never get back
There's a film in your head
That is fading to black
(chorus)
And you could choke to death
On the words you don't say
You could drown in the thoughts
That you don't give away
It's a trial, it's a taunt, it's a tease
Living in parentheses
(bridge)
Life happens at the margins
In the pauses
And asides
Fate whispers in the corridors
But who hears what he confides
(repeat chorus) And you could choke to death, etc.
(v3)
There's a half a moment
When she's saying goodnight
And she leaves her shadow
And appears in the light
She makes a joke
Which you won't understand
Because you're brought up short
By the warmth of her hand
(repeat chorus) And you could choke to death, etc.
©2007 Z. Mulls
This lyric is registered with the U.S. Copyright Office as part of the collection THE COLLECTED LYRICS OF Z. MULLS Volume Two 2007
Tricky lyric. I pretty much lay it all out in the bridge.
The lyric has two people at a party who are clearly attracted to each other, but can’t say anything about it (they’re both taken, or one of them is). But this little moments keep flashing up "in parentheses" -- at the margins, in between all the other events.
This lyric has been changed a little (we lost the bride, and put it in first person), and recorded by artist Jen Foster. Hopefully you’ll get to hear it soon!
