Breath of Clarity

Norah Jones Lyric Composition

Norah Jones

Without a sound, she tells a tale of grace that’s all her own. Fragile as a leaf in autumn, there’s a song on low and it’s been there playing all along. Tell me your tale. My hi-fi is waiting for a new tune.

I rode the train for hours on end and watched the people pass me by, feeling the same way all over again. With echoes on the boulevard, it’s just a little scary sometimes. She pulled the blinds and listened to the thunder. With the weapons in their hands and their eyes closed as they stand, can they end it all tonight so easily? In the dead of the night I found out sometimes there’s love that won’t survive. I covered my eyes and I knew. I’ll lay awake one more night.

With no chance to defend, tonight could be their end. Did the darkness of their days make them let go of their light? When the beautiful awake, see the sadness in their eyes. Will they want to find a way to make it all right? Can they ever find a way side by side? Only the fallen need to rise. What if lightning strikes them twice? Will they give up and finally divide? Truth spoke in whispers will tear you apart, no matter how hard you resist.

Heart of mine, be still. You can play with fire. I’ll be searching for a clear connection, without a digital send. I would paint my reverie, drawn through the ebb, lost in the flow.

Out on my own now, and I like the way it feels. Like a child … you remember, such a beautiful disease. I need no soft lights to enchant me. There’s a song on low and your mind just picked up on the sound. Out across the endless sea, I would die in ecstasy. Bitter traces left behind stains no one can see. Underground I’m waiting, just below the crowded avenue, watching red lights fading out of view. Oh the air feels heavy, everything just passes by.

The moon’s come and gone but a few stars hang on, onto the sky. Hush now, watch the stars fall. On Blue Bayou, where those fishing boats with their sails afloat, if I could only see that familiar sunrise through sleepy eyes. Nightingale, sing us a song. Sinking embers glow, melting icy snow, waiting for you to come home. I had no choice when I heard your voice. But what I’m really thinking is why can’t it be easy, easy? I think up a reason to leave when you finally stop speaking. I’ll take a long slow walk down Washington Street, half asleep on my feet, half aware if I’m dreaming.

Looks like mornin’ in your eyes, ’cause the afternoon’s already come and gone. Well, it’s something like a hurricane dancing with a kite. The wind’s running free but it ain’t up to me ask to why. And we can hear the children playing outside in the park. And if there were a fire, we’d burn up for sure. I want to rest upon a graceful mountain so high. Walked a mile just to find the edge.

You could never be a face in the crowd, so you’re travelin’ on. I’m taking my time taking it all in. Hey don’t be too hard on yourself. I’ll be okay. I never wanted to be taken. So, I don’t care where I go. Got about a half a tank left. Either way, I’m leaving. On my way to paradise, a little voice says, “don’t think twice and don’t look back if you want things to change”. Keep on driving through the night. Trying to pick up the pace, trying to throw this away. Time stands still.

We met in a place I used to go. Come away and pour the night into a glass. In a boat that’s built of sticks and hay, we drifted from the shore. Your eyes seek conclusion in all this confusion of mine. Bring part of yourself that you’ll let me keep. To me you are the sea, vast as you can be, and the deep shade of blue. Stay in the shade and watch the world turn. Can I sip it slow and make it last? You got to feel the way he’s moving. You got to watch his head and brace yourself for anything that render. And the night is oh so clear. Feeling the warmth of your breath against my skin. The people all look the same. So tonight … we can build a fire in the open field past the razor wire. Now I only walk by it slow, long enough to hear those sweet words spoken like a melody. My glass is waiting for some fresh ice cubes. Tell me, how does it feel to be so high? Our fears are only what we tell them to be. When you sail across the ocean waters, you reach the other side safely, so sincere.

While the seasons will undo your soul, time forgives us and it takes control. We’re light as a feather, heavy as the weather, if it was raining stones. It’s like a show was over but we’re too scared to walk away. All for the better. Watch is ticking like a heartbeat gone berserk, lost the chance to wind the key. The day after is darker, but sometimes I don’t understand the way we play.

She’ll be breaking your fall and I’ll be building new walls, but this time I’ll have to make sure to add a window for you to come back. How long does it take to fight off this weakness? You’ll miss the love you called your own. Words spoken silently, I could never understand. How breath delivers such poison to someone too weak to stand. Dust can turn into mud out on the sea in the sea. Expecting to die any moment sir, and may not live through the day, I want to reach home and kiss mother goodbye.

You never told me about the winter. Life went on in my mind so cold. People can’t be hand-made. At a stone that’s too hard to break, a girl who’s too lost to save. If only you knew the reason why you had to each be lonely. Well, I stumbled in the darkness. It was just the season.

In a vine-covered shack in the mountains, bravely fighting the battle of time, I’ve kept it locked inside my heart and smiled through all my tears. I find myself a slice of life to show me that I’m heading the right way when the dawn of day appears. Everyday was changing, but I remember. Everyday was changing, only photographs but life goes on in your mind so warm. You know the art of hangin’ loose is hangin’ just as tight. I’m holding on to a thing that’s wrong. Beneath my breath, I confess my world, loveless. I cannot pretend anymore. The leaves were falling down softly. My cold hands needed a warm, warm touch, and I was thinking about you. Take it back.

I never told you about the summer. It is my time to arrive in style with grace and poise…. and the quiet. It’s long overdue. My thoughts are hazy, dances like a diamond shines. … Let my mind meditate on everything to be done. If I search deep inside, let my conscience be my guide. Wake me up when the skies are clearing, when the water is still, ’cause I will not watch the ships sail away. She walked by the ocean, and for a star to carry her away. She tries to take deep breaths, to smell the salty sea, as it moves over her feet.

T’was in the merry month of May when flowers were a-bloomin’ and we finally awake walk into the sunny day. She looked to the east. Her laughing eyes a hazel hue, where the cares of the day seem to slowly fade away. She looked to the west. Sitting alone in an old rocking chair, it wouldn’t take much just to gladden her heart. I have searched both far and wide on the noise that subsides somewhere between my dreams.