Can I Hear You?

Lyrics

[Intro – Dry clicks, crooked bassline] [Male, whispered] Hello? Hello? [Female] You’re breaking up. [Male] No, I think that’s just me. [Verse 1 – Fast, clipped] Seven-thirty, phone’s against my cheek, Somebody’s mad at somebody I’ve never seen. Kettle’s screaming from the kitchen again, I’m reading the comments when the boiling ends. A man in a suit says the world’s on fire, Then tries to sell me something to make me feel inspired. I give him my attention, he gives me a code, Fifteen percent off being terrified at home. [Female, bright] Lucky you! [Male] Yeah, who knew? [Pre-Chorus – Snaps, rising voices] One more swipe and I’ll put it down, One more minute, one more sound. The clock says eight, the clock says ten— How’d I get back here again? [Chorus – Jagged, infectious] Static, static, in the signal! Little red dots in my peripheral. Talk, talk, talk till the words wear thin, Everybody’s talking, nobody gets in! Click-click, tick-tock, don’t look down, I can hear my own thoughts when the lights go out. [Female] Are you there? Are you there? [Male] I’m somewhere, I’m somewhere! Static in the signal— Can you hear me now? [Verse 2 – Bouncy, ironic] Met an old friend by the freezer aisle, Both of us wearing that polite little smile. He said, “We should catch up; it’s been too long.” His phone lit up, mine did too, and the moment was gone. We stood there pretending to look at the peas, Two grown men with somewhere else to be. Said we’d get together, said we’d find a day, Then shook hands like strangers and wandered away. Outside, a kid was kicking leaves in the street, His mother said, “Hold on, honey, wait for me.” She was filming the sky turning purple and gold, He said, “Look!” three times, then he went home. And I wanted to judge her, I really did, Till I remembered all the things that I missed. Got a hundred good pictures of the summers we had, Can’t remember the sound of my own dad’s laugh. [Female, gently] That’s a shame. [Male] Yeah. It is. [Pre-Chorus – Accelerating] One more story, one more fight, One more perfect Friday night. If everybody’s having fun, Why do I feel like the only one? [Chorus – Call and response] Static, static, in the signal! Little red dots in my peripheral. Talk, talk, talk till the words wear thin, Everybody’s talking, nobody gets in! Click-click, tick-tock, don’t look down, I can hear my own thoughts when the lights go out. [Female] Are you there? Are you there? [Male] I’m somewhere, I’m somewhere! Static in the signal— Can you hear me now? [Bridge – Bare guitar, close vocal] Mom called twice on Tuesday. I watched it ring both times. I wasn’t busy doing anything, I just said, “I’ll call tonight.” Then Wednesday came and Thursday went, The dishes filled the sink. I knew the names of ten new strangers, Forgot to ask how she’d been. [Female, almost spoken] You could call her. [Male] I know. [Female] So call. [Male] …Okay. [Break – Dial tone, crooked guitar riff] [Male, spoken] Hey, Mom. It’s me. [Pause] No, nothing’s wrong. I just— I wanted to hear your voice. [Instrumental – Stuttering drums, falsetto harmonies] [Female, distant] Hello? Hello? [Male, laughing] Yeah, I’m here. [Final Chorus – Loose, ecstatic] Static, static, in the signal! Let the little red lights go invisible. Talk, talk, talk, let the noise roll past, Some things are better when you let them last. Click-click, tick-tock, sun goes down, There’s a whole lot of life in this sleepy town. [Female] Are you there? Are you there? [Male] I’m right here, I’m right here! Static in the signal— But I hear you now! [Outro – Bass and handclaps, then quiet] The kettle’s cold, the sink’s a mess, There’s still a hundred things I haven’t read. My mother laughs about a dog she saw, I miss the punchline, ask her to tell it once more. [Female, whispered] Hello? [Male, softly] I’m listening.