The Blue Cup

Lyrics

[Verse 1] You left your coffee by the sink The blue cup with the chipped-up rim I read the message twice, then blinked As if the words would soften if I waited with them You said the meeting ran too late You said the train was almost gone But someone saved your favorite place And knew the little song you hum when putting your coat on [Pre-Chorus] I knew your hands, I knew your keys I knew the stories you would tell I never knew the part of me You gave away so well [Chorus] You didn’t break the door, you turned the handle slow You wore my trust like something you could borrow Now every promise has a second voice beneath And every “stay” sounds like a warning meant for me I could forgive the lie, perhaps, if lies were all But you made a home of what you swore you wouldn’t call So take the truth you kept from me And leave the pieces where they fell [Verse 2] Your jacket still hangs by the stairs One loose thread caught around the hook I almost reach to fix it there Then remember fixing things was never how you looked The neighbor asked if you were well I said you needed time alone A careful little lie to tell For someone who still thinks your leaving was a choice of your own [Pre-Chorus] I knew the shape beneath your shirt The tired crease beside your eyes I never knew how cleanly hurt Could wear a lover’s disguise [Chorus] You didn’t break the door, you turned the handle slow You wore my trust like something you could borrow Now every promise has a second voice beneath And every “stay” sounds like a warning meant for me I could forgive the lie, perhaps, if lies were all But you made a home of what you swore you wouldn’t call So take the truth you kept from me And leave the pieces where they fell [Bridge] I won’t compete with a version of you That only existed when I looked away I won’t keep asking what I failed to do You chose the silence, then chose what to betray [Final Chorus] You didn’t break the door, you turned the handle slow You wore my trust until you had somewhere else to go Now every promise has a second voice beneath But I can hear my own, and it is coming back to me I’ll forgive the lie someday, not for what you’ve done But so your name won’t be the lock on everyone Take the truth you kept from me I’ll leave the pieces where they fell [Outro] The blue cup waits beside the sink I wash it clean and let it dry Some things remain, but not the way you think Some goodbyes start before goodbye