Intro (soft piano, breath in)
(hummed harmony under lead)
Mmm… yeah
Ooh…
⸻
Verse 1
Snow falling quiet on my street (mm)
Everyone’s warm, just not me (no)
Your name still echoes in this room
Like you might walk in any moment soon
Bills on the counter, faith on hold
My hands are shaking, my heart feels old
They say “be thankful, it’s that time of year”
But missing you makes everything unclear
*(low harmony: “unclear…”) *
⸻
Pre-Chorus
Carols playing through the walls (oh)
Singing love while mine just falls
I’d trade the lights, the tree, the cheer
If I could have you here
*(stacked harmony: “have you here…”) *
⸻
Chorus (hold notes, let them ache)
It’s still December without you (without you)
All this joy but none feels true (feels true)
They say this season’s meant for healing
But loving you was my religion
I smile for them, but I bleed in truth (bleed in truth)
Every memory leads to you (to you)
If Christmas means we’re not alone
Why do I feel this cold?
(background runs: ooh-ooh, yeah, mm)
⸻
Verse 2
Dinner’s getting cold on my plate (mm)
Conversations I can’t fake (no)
We don’t fight, we don’t speak deep
Just ghosts at the table, secrets we keep
They toast to peace and better days
I sip regret and look away
If love’s a gift, why did it break?
Why does missing you feel like a weight?
*(low harmony: “like a weight…”) *
⸻
Pre-Chorus (variation)
Stockings hang but my heart’s still bare (still bare)
I check my phone like you might care (might care)
Every prayer I try to say
Leads me back to your name
⸻
Chorus (full harmonies, wider)
It’s still December without you (without you)
Every song just feels like you (like you)
They say this season’s meant for healing
But your absence is all I’m feeling
I wear this smile like it’s brand new (brand new)
Wrap my pain in red and blue (red and blue)
If love’s the meaning, tell me the truth
Why am I here without you?
*(ad-libs: “oh no… yeah… mm”) *
⸻
Bridge (strip beat — just piano + vocal stack)
If angels really watch from above
Did they see the night we lost our love?
I’d give up snow, the lights, the cheer
Just to feel you near
*(high harmony swell: “feel you near…”) *
⸻
Final Chorus (belt but restrained)
It’s still December without you (without you)
Even the stars feel out of tune (out of tune)
They promise time will make it right
But December stays heavy at night
I’ll hold your name like something sacred (sacred)
Love like ours don’t fade, it breaks you (breaks you)
If Christmas means I’m not alone
Why do I feel this cold?
⸻
Outro (spoken / whispered)
Maybe next year
It won’t hurt like this
…but tonight
I still miss you
(final hum fades: mmm…)
⸻
Harmony & Ad-Lib Guide for Zeno
• Low harmony: follow root notes (Giveon chest voice style)
• High harmony: only on last words of lines
• Ad-libs: soft, emotional — “mm”, “oh no”, “yeah”, breathy sighs
• Leave space — silence is part of the emotion
