Saint of the Second Glance

[Verse 1]
You came in late that Monday
Name tag crooked
Hair a mess
We laughed about the rota
About the uniforms and stress
You stole my mug at break time
Said the coffee tasted grand
I watched your fingers on the handle
Like a secret wedding band
[Chorus]
I was the saint of the second glance
Silent prayer in the staffroom hum
Guarding a hope that had no chance
Smiling
Letting the moment run
You called me your “best friend
Sure”
I blessed what I could not have
Lit a candle for a maybe
Then I let it melt in half
[Verse 2]
We shared the bus on Fridays
Split a bag of chips and salt
You told me all your stories
Every almost
Every fault
You spoke about your girlfriend
How her da just wouldn’t speak
I folded up my wanting
Like a payslip every week
[Chorus]
I was the saint of the second glance
Silent prayer in the staffroom hum
Guarding a hope that had no chance
Smiling
Letting the moment run
You called me your “best friend
Sure”
I blessed what I could not have
Lit a candle for a maybe
Then I let it melt in half
[Bridge]
It was nothing that you did
It was all I never said (I know)
When your shoulder brushed my shoulder
Whole confessions stayed in my head
You said
“We shouldn’t meet so much
She thinks I’m hiding something
Love”
I said
“Of course
She’s right to ask”
And swallowed every shove
[Verse 3]
Now I see you in the supermarket
Pushing trolleys
Counting bread
You glance past me like a stranger
Like we never ever shared a bed
In my mind we never touched
So there’s nothing to forgive
Just a story I don’t tell you
So you get the life you live
[Chorus]
I stay the saint of the second glance
Light your way from far away
Guarding a hope that had its chance
And quietly letting it decay
You used to call me “best friend
Sure”
Now you pass and don’t look back
I understand
And that’s our truce
Love that learned to leave no track

folk, Gentle folk ballad with Irish lilt; fingerpicked acoustic guitar, low whistle fills, and soft bodhrán pulse. Female vocals, intimate and close, with subtle harmony on choruses. Verses stay storytelling and sparse; chorus blooms with warm chords and a small lift in tempo. Final pass leans into hush and space, letting the last line hang over a fading drone.