IN THE DARK (2007)
(v1)
The next day I heard half the county was out
I thought God was coming to carry me back
Momma groped downstairs to find a flashlight
Stranding me deep in the sudden black
Nothing to hold onto
No one near by
I don’t like this shadow
On my heart
And I don’t like being left
In the dark
(v2)
You can’t stand the light on the bedside table
Can’t get to sleep without wearing a mask
Covering up your eyes each evening
Leave me with questions I dare not ask
And you’ll always wonder
And never know why
I don’t like this shadow
On my heart
And I don’t like being left
In the dark
(bridge)
Your love for me is a shade of grey
The indistinct edges that you prefer
I squint to find you, but to my dismay
I can hear you I can smell you
You’re nothing but a blur
(v3)
Sometimes I think you really love me
I like to think that now and then
When I need you most I find I’m
Playing blind man’s bluff again
And I can’t hold on to you
And you’re nowhere near by
I don’t like this shadow
On my heart
And I don’t like being left
In the dark
©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
In 2007, I saw a fabulous singer at Rockwood Music Hall in NYC, named Melody Gardot. Some years ago, she was hit by a car, sustaining serious injuries. The accident affected her sight, and she wears dark glasses all the time.
She is a magnificent blues/jazz singer, and I thought of this lyric with her in mind -- using the sense of darkness against the usual meaning of the phrase "in the dark" -- being unsure of someone or something.
