TITLE: The Cord in the Clock
[Intro – isolated clock-like ticking pulse, no vocals]
[Verse 1 – sparse piano, steady ticking rhythm]
Morning calls, I answer fast
Solving problems I didn’t make
Your voice shakes, I steady mine
Like a second I can’t keep in time
Later on, I’m needed more
Small hands knocking at the door
Every version that I am
Fits inside what they demand
[Pre-Chorus – tension building]
If I stop, I lose the time
Everything might fall apart
So I carry all the weight
Never setting down my heart
[Chorus – cord + clock fusion hook]
I’m the cord inside the clock, holding it tight
Every second pulling me further from life
Second by second I’m keeping it right
Stitching the hands while I’m running out of mine
Hold it together, don’t let it break
I’m the cord and the pressure it takes
One weight pulls forward, one pulls away
I hold the rhythm that never stays
I’m the cord inside the clock… stretched too far
Who holds me when I forget who we are?
[Post-Chorus – chant hook over ticking pulse]
Hold it together, don’t let it break
Hold it together, don’t let it break
[Verse 2 – emotional + financial strain]
Counting change like borrowed time
Stretching thin what should be mine
Every yes pulls more away
From anything I could’ve saved
I don’t break, I just unwind
One strand at a time behind
No one sees the way I split
Keeping everything stitched in it
[Pre-Chorus – variation]
If I choose a different road
Does it mean I let you down
Or have I just been standing still
While the world keeps spinning ‘round?
[Chorus – fuller, layered vocals]
I’m the cord inside the clock, holding it tight
Every second pulling me further from life
Second by second I’m keeping it right
Stitching the hands while I’m running out of mine
Hold it together, don’t let it break
I’m the cord and the pressure it takes
One weight pulls forward, one pulls away
I hold the rhythm that never stays
I’m the cord inside the clock… I see it now
I can’t hold everything without breaking down
[Bridge – clock rhythm destabilizes, ticking fades]
If I let go for a second
Does it all come crashing down
Or do I finally hear myself
Without the weight of every sound
I feel it slipping through my hands
Like the cord can’t hold the plan
Everything I built on time
Starting to unravel in my mind
[— TICKING DROPS OUT — silence / vocal exposed]
Did I hold it too long
Did I hold it too tight
Did I lose who I am
Just keeping it right
[— TICKING RETURNS SOFTLY — slowly rebuilds]
[Final Chorus – biggest, controlled intensity]
I’m the cord inside the clock, holding it tight
Every second pulling me further from life
I’ve been giving in pieces too many nights
Keeping it running while losing my light
Hold it together, don’t let it break
I’m the cord and the pressure it takes
One weight pulls forward, one pulls away
I hold the rhythm that never stays
I’m the cord inside the clock… stretched too far
But I can’t hold everything without breaking apart
[Outro – ticking pulse continues alone]
Eilidhschy
