Intro (sparse instrumental)
Piano: two soft measures, a single cello note lingering under the last chord.
Verse 1
The photograph peels at the corner, thin,
Your laugh caught in silver, a crescent grin.
My phone keeps the ring — a pale blue halo bright,
Rain on your sweater still smells like midnight.
Pre-Chorus
I count the platform tiles, hold my breath,
The clock forgets to move, keeps moments left.
A small, impatient heartbeat before the light.
Chorus (Hook — sing with clarity; shorter, repeatable lines)
Empty subway at dawn — no footsteps, no song.
One lamp keeps vigil while the trains move on.
A world so empty, a ticket in my palm.
I whisper your name until the rails grow calm.
Verse 2 (concrete details)
Coffee goes cold where two mugs used to be,
Chairs keep the outline of the way you leave.
The mailbox keeps your postcard, sun-creased and thin,
I press the stamp with the thumbprint of where you’ve been.
Pre-Chorus (raise, then release)
My breath fogs the window, maps a small gray shore,
I trace the route we missed — remember more.
A hush pulls at the seams and edges tight.
Chorus
Empty subway at dawn — no footsteps, no song.
One lamp keeps vigil while the trains move on.
A world so empty, a ticket in my palm.
I whisper your name until the rails grow calm.
Bridge (subvert — show the mending through small acts)
I fold your photograph and tuck it into sleeves,
I stitch the sweater’s split so the evening breathes.
I plant a little basil on the cracked sill ledge,
Water the small green thing — it grows toward the edge.
(Bridge continues — intimate, breathy delivery)
The silence learns to make a shape of home,
A single blade of green is proof I’m not alone.
I light the lamp you left and watch the shadows bend;
The empty keeps a shape that remembers to mend.
Final Chorus — Part A (stripped back: low, intimate)
Empty subway at dawn — no footsteps, no song.
One lamp keeps vigil — I hum along.
Final Chorus — Part B (swell: strings enter, higher, sustained ending)
A world so empty finds its corners of light,
A ticket becomes a map, the dark turns right.
I hold your name like oxygen, simple and warm —
And sing it once, then twice, until the morning forms.
Outro
Piano drops to two notes, cello climbs and fades.
Keep the lamp on; the platform will not stay the same.
In a world so empty, we are small, we belong —
One bright, stubborn breath and life rewrites the song.
Arrangement Notes (sad instrumental guidance)
- Intro: sparse piano (high register), single long cello note under the final piano chord.
- Verses: piano arpeggios (soft, steady), long bowed cello notes supporting the vocal, occasional high violin harmonics.
- Pre-Chorus: add a subtle pad or felt piano to raise tension; small percussion brush on the last line to push into chorus.
- Chorus: strings swell (violin/viola), light percussion (soft brushes, low mallets) for pulse; keep the melody anchor simple so the hook “Empty subway at dawn” can repeat.
- Bridge: drop percussion; intimate acoustic guitar or single pi
