I usually have some sort of gimmick when I start writing a lyric — use no pronouns, start with a title, write in Japanese. Tonight, I had no gimmick, so I went with the old standby — write the first line and see what happens after. I ended up with something obviously in 3/4.
住んでいない
June 12, 2007
The book on the nightstand hasn’t been opened in days
The cover and pages gather a light film of dust
A clock in the corner notes when the hour has gone
With no one to hear it, time passes by silently
When was the last time this room had some life?
It wouldn’t know, now would it?
Maybe the last time this room had some life
There was a reason for being
A series of pictures covers the length of a hall
Where memories faded into the cracks in the walls
The floorboards and ceilings creak with the passing of age
With no one to see it, time passes by unremarked
When was the last time this room possessed life?
It wouldn’t know, now would it?
Maybe the last time this room had some life
There was a reason for living
There was a time filled with meaning
There was a moment worth living
There was a life there worth knowing
There was an ending worth grieving
The book on the nightstand hasn’t been opened in days
The clock in the corner marks when the hour has gone
The floorboards and ceilings creak with the passing of age
With no one to feel it, time passes by endlessly
When was the last time this room has some life?
I should have known, now should I?
Maybe the last time this room had some life
There was a reason for being
There was a reason for living
There was a reason for leaving