[Intro] The television talks downstairs. A pair of headlights climbs the stairs. I close my eyes before they pass— The room goes dark. I breathe at last. [Verse 1] Nine years old with a glass to the plaster, Learning which silence came before disaster. Keys in the bowl and the scrape of a chair— I knew who was home by the weight of the air. The kitchen clock clicked through the gaps in your speech. I kept my questions where you couldn’t reach. One wrong word could turn the evening red; I practiced being absent while I lay in bed. [Pre-Chorus] Nobody told me what I’d done. I searched my day for something wrong. Held every ordinary word Against the anger that I heard. [Chorus] Leave the light beneath the door. Let it reach across the floor. I can’t sleep until I know If I should hide or say hello. Every night I lie awake, Learning how much sound to make. Morning, find me where I’ve been— Small enough to disappear again. [Verse 2] Monday morning, spelling words in rows. Nobody asks what a quiet child knows. I draw our house with a yellow sun; Leave out the room where the shouting comes from. The teacher says I’m patient for my age. I rub a hole straight through the page. A chair falls backward; I’m already on my feet. Everybody’s laughing. I pretend to drop my keys. [Pre-Chorus] I know the lesson. Know the drill. Be quick to smile. Be quicker still. The bell rings out; they run outside. I take my time. I have a ride. [Chorus] Leave the light beneath the door. Let it reach across the floor. I can’t sleep until I know If I should hide or say hello. Every night I lie awake, Learning how much sound to make. Morning, find me where I’ve been— Small enough to disappear again. [Bridge] Some nights you’d carry me upstairs, Move the hair out of my eyes. I would hold my breathing steady, Keep the sleeping child disguise. I wanted you to stay there. I wanted you to leave. Both wishes in the same small chest, With barely room to breathe. [Breakdown] I knew the sound Of every drawer. Which step would creak. Which hinge would roar. Before I learned To tell the time, I knew when your voice Would stop sounding kind. [Final Chorus] Leave the light beneath the door. Let it reach across the floor. I can’t sleep until I know If I should hide or say hello. Every night I lie awake, Learning how much sound to make. Morning, find me where I’ve been— Don’t let the dark come back again. [Outro] The school bus brakes outside at eight. My coat is on. I’m never late.
