Lyrics

[Verse 1 — Low, Conversational Baritone]
You arrive eleven minutes late
With your wedding band turned inward
Order tea you never touch
Then ask me how long I can live like this
I study every tired line
Your makeup couldn’t keep concealed
You say his name without affection
Then reach beneath the table for my hand
You tell me home has grown so quiet
Even arguments have disappeared
Two people sleeping inches apart
With nothing left between them but the years
[Pre-Chorus]
I should tell you not to come here
I should stand and let you leave
But one look from those exhausted eyes
Makes a coward out of me
[Chorus — Full Chest Voice]
At the table no one sees
You belong to me for ninety minutes
Then the clock collects you back
And I’m left with every truth we didn’t finish
I can hold you in the shadows
But I cannot call you mine
At the table no one sees
We keep stealing what was never ours to find
[Verse 2 — Intimate, Behind the Beat]
You laugh when I recall the summer
When your car refused to start
How we waited in the pouring rain
And crossed a line before we reached your door
You said you hadn’t felt desired
Since your youngest left for school
I said loneliness can make good people
Break the promises they meant to keep
Now every Thursday has a heartbeat
Every Friday brings regret
You return to someone’s household
I return to everything you left
[Pre-Chorus]
You ask whether I still love you
As if love could make this clean
I love you enough to hate the man
This secret has made of me
[Chorus]
At the table no one sees
You remove your ring but not your history
I can taste your hesitation
Every time your conscience interrupts your kiss
I can hold you in the shadows
But I cannot build a life
At the table no one sees
We keep feeding something neither one can hide
[Bridge — Rising Gospel-Rooted Plea]
Choose me honestly
Or close this door completely
Don’t keep giving me your body
While your future stays at home
I am tired of borrowed hours
Tired of whispering your name
I would rather mourn you once
Than lose myself each week this way
You say leaving him would ruin everything
But staying here is ruining me
I cannot keep calling this devotion
When devotion needs secrecy
[Final Chorus — Passionate Belt]
At the table no one sees
I have loved you past my better judgment
Past the warnings in my spirit
Past the man I used to recognize
But tonight I leave the shadows
You must choose your truth in light
At the table no one sees
I am giving back these stolen Thursday nights
[Outro — Falsetto Touches and Sustained Ad-Libs]
Keep the tea
Keep the corner
Keep the chair across from mine
I won’t meet you halfway anymore
When halfway costs my peace each time
I love you
Lord knows I love you
But love should never have to hide
So when that clock reaches nine tonight
I’ll leave before you say goodbye