Deliah on the Corner

[Verse 1]
Deliah on the corner
Paper cup by her shoe
Lipstick on her filter
Like a faded tattoo
Says she used to sing on Sundays
Hair up, high-heeled shoes
Now it’s last night’s bingo numbers
Stuffed in a stolen booze bag too
[Chorus]
Deliah, do they see you?
Or just walk straight through your skin?
You say, “I just want to feel human
Just want to feel human again”
I bring you tea and a sandwich
You laugh, say “cheers, my friend”
“I just want to feel human
Just want to feel human again”
[Verse 2]
I ask her for her story
She shrugs, “Where should I begin?
Lost it all on bright machines
Then I lost myself in gin”
Says the night bus is her bedroom
The pavement is her pen
“Every stare cuts like a ticket
They never look again”
[Chorus]
Deliah, do they see you?
Or just walk straight through your skin?
You say, “I just want to feel human
Just want to feel human again”
I come back round there daily
Same time, same cracked step end
You say, “I just want to feel human
Just want to feel human again”
[Bridge]
One grey morning, rain on stone
Your corner’s bare, I’m stood alone
Just a darker patch where you once sat
And a dent where your paper cup was at
Did you win, did you lose, did you get a warm bed?
I whisper your jokes in my head (oh Deliah)
[Chorus]
Deliah, do they see you?
I see you in every crowd
You said, “I just want to feel human”
I’m still saying it out loud
So if you found some softer pillow
Or just the sky in the end
I hope you finally feel human
Finally feel human, my friend

folk, Moody acoustic ballad with British female vocals, close-mic’d and intimate. Fingerpicked guitar and soft upright bass, brushed snare entering on the second verse. Chorus blooms with subtle string pad and stacked harmonies. Bridge strips back to solo voice and sparse guitar before a final, resigned chorus with a gentle, lingering outro chord., female vocals, sad