Three Women

She wears her bridal gown on Tuesday afternoon And finds a receipt from a hardware store Beside the pantry door While April turns to June A pot of coffee cools upon the counter tile She reads a note she wrote in someone else's hand And tries to understand Who wore her winter coat a little while The kitchen clock has dropped an hour on the rug She picks the numbers up And puts them in a cup Then pours them in a glass and takes a chug Three women share a single name (a single name) They take their turns inside the hall And never meet at all Though every photograph looks just the same A grocery list is taped against the bathroom glass With items bought by someone who was here at eight Who washed the dinner plate And watched the morning pass The bedroom mirror shows a stranger with a comb Who braids her hair in two And ties a tennis shoe Inside this crowded home Three women share a single name (three women) They take their turns inside the hall And never meet at all Though every photograph looks just the same We lock the front porch gate when someone acts bizarre Or talks to people no one else has ever met Instead of sitting on the step to share a blanket when it gets Too cold inside the car Three women share a single name (share a single name) They take their turns inside the hall (inside the hall) And never meet at all Though every photograph looks just the same She sets four saucers by the sink And folds the wedding veil in half To hear the others laugh Then pours a glass of milk to drink -------------------- [Time Signature: 11/8] [Tempo: 140 BPM] [Instrumental Intro: faint piano establishing key over custom drums] [Key: C Byzantine] [C] [Dbmaj7] [E7] [Fm] [Verse 1: isolated upfront dry vocal, minimal bass] [Key: C Byzantine] [C] She wears her bridal gown on [Dbmaj7] Tuesday afternoon [Em7b5] And finds a receipt from a [Fm] hardware store [C] Beside the [Db] pantry [E] door [Fm] While April [G7b9] turns to [C] June [Verse 2: urgent woodwinds join continuous piano pulse] [Key: C Byzantine] [C] A pot of coffee cools u-[Dbmaj7]-pon the counter tile [Em7b5] She reads a note she wrote in [Fm] someone else's hand [C] And tries to [Db] under-[E]-stand [Fm] Who wore her [G7b9] winter coat a [C] little while [Pre-Chorus: rising sawing cello, shifting polyrhythmic accents] [Key: F Harmonic Minor] [Fm] The kitchen clock has dropped an [Dbmaj7] hour on the rug [Gdim7] She picks the [C7] numbers up [Fm] And puts them [Abaug] in a cup [Dbmaj7] Then pours them in a [G7b9] glass and takes a [C] chug [Chorus: soaring dramatic vocals, full chamber ensemble] [Key: G Phrygian Dominant] [G] Three women [Ab] share a single [Bdim] name (a single name) [Cm] They take their [G/B] turns inside the [Ab] hall [Fm] And never [G] meet at [Cm] all [Abmaj7] Though every photo-[G7b9]-graph looks just the [C] same [Verse 3: active bass clarinet, relentless keyboard arpeggios] [Key: C Byzantine] [C] A grocery list is taped a-[Dbmaj7]-gainst the bathroom glass [Em7b5] With items bought by someone [Fm] who was here at eight [C] Who washed the [Db] dinner [E] plate [Fm] And watched the [G7b9] morning [C] pass [Pre-Chorus: intensifying strings and staccato organ chords] [Key: F Harmonic Minor] [Fm] The bedroom mirror shows a [Dbmaj7] stranger with a comb [Gdim7] Who braids her [C7] hair in two [Fm] And ties a [Abaug] tennis shoe [Dbmaj7] Inside this [G7b9] crowded [C] home [Chorus: intense layered vocal harmonies, driving ensemble] [Key: G Phrygian Dominant] [G] Three women [Ab] share a single [Bdim] name (three women) [Cm] They take their [G/B] turns inside the [Ab] hall [Fm] And never [G] meet at [Cm] all [Abmaj7] Though every photo-[G7b9]-graph looks just the [C] same [Bridge: dramatic harmonic shift, frantic interlocking woodwinds] [Key: Ab Lydian #2] [Abmaj7] We lock the front porch gate when [G] someone acts bizarre [Fm] Or talks to people no one [Eaug] else has ever met [Dbmaj7] Instead of sitting on the [C] step to share a [Bm7b5] blanket when it gets [Abmaj7] Too cold in-[G7b9]-side the [C] car [Chorus: climactic full chamber intensity, vocal echoes] [Key: G Phrygian Dominant] [G] Three women [Ab] share a single [Bdim] name (share a single name) [Cm] They take their [G/B] turns inside the [Ab] hall (inside the hall) [Fm] And never [G] meet at [Cm] all [Abmaj7] Though every photo-[G7b9]-graph looks just the [C] same [Final Chorus: intense vocal delivery] [Key: C Byzantine] [C] She sets four [Dbmaj7] saucers by the sink [Em7b5] And folds the [Fm] wedding veil in half [C] To hear the [Db] others [E7] laugh [Fm] Then pours a [G7b9] glass of milk to [C] drink [Instrumental Outro: fading instruments] [Hard Stop] [End]