Songs for Ethel

Verse 1

Boxes stacked against the wall dusty labels, none of them clear but you know just what they hold and you keep them close all year

Pre-chorus

You never throw the good stuff out you find the gold in grease and grime so tonight we make some noise

Chorus

Ethel, put your glad rags on step out from the garage floor Ethel, you're the brightest thing that this old town has ever saw

Verse 2

Engine oil and birthday cake strange old mix but it feels right you turn junk to something grand you turn grey rooms into light

Pre-chorus

You never throw the good stuff out you find the gold in grease and grime so tonight we make some noise

Chorus

Ethel, put your glad rags on step out from the garage floor Ethel, you're the brightest thing that this old town has ever saw

Bridge

Clear a space among the boxes let the disco ball come down tonight the dust is glitter tonight you wear the crown

Chorus

Ethel, put your glad rags on step out from the garage floor Ethel, you're the brightest thing that this old town has ever saw

Outro

Stack the boxes, save the ribbon you're the best thing we keep near

Verse 1

Slush is sliding down the glass Outside the shop the cold winds pass But you walk in with all that warmth Nothing dreary ever lasts

Pre-chorus

You've got a way of turning grey to gold You make the coldest morning feel less cold Tonight we're raising every glass to you

Chorus

Ethel, you're a rare kind of special Nothing here feels ordinary or level Every year you make the room a Bethel Ethel, tonight we sing for you, Ethel

Verse 2

You never needed the sun to shine You brought your own kind of warm inside We could freeze out on that street But you'd still make it feel fine

Chorus

Ethel, you're a rare kind of special Nothing here feels ordinary or level Every year you make the room a Bethel Ethel, tonight we sing for you, Ethel

Bridge

Here's to every year you've grown Here's to all the light you've thrown Not one candle burns as steady You were always more than ready

Chorus

Ethel, you're a rare kind of special Nothing here feels ordinary or level Every year you make the room a Bethel Ethel, tonight we sing for you, Ethel

Outro

Let the slush keep sliding down the glass We've got all the warmth we'll ever need

Verse 1

Half asleep in the back seat Watching light chase down the street You made the dark feel like a game Even then you lit the frame

Pre-chorus

Count the candles, count the years Grab the ones you hold most dear Get up close, the moment's here

Chorus

Ethel, blow it out and cheer Nobody else could land us here Ethel, raise your cup up high Bright as headlights on the drive

Verse 2

Every road you've taken since Every risk and every wince You came out grinning, banged up, free Exactly who we hoped you'd be

Pre-chorus

Count the candles, count the years Grab the ones you hold most dear Get up close, the moment's here

Chorus

Ethel, blow it out and cheer Nobody else could land us here Ethel, raise your cup up high Bright as headlights on the drive

Bridge

Some folks fade when the night gets long You just turn it up like a song Whatever came, however far Here's to knowing who you are

Chorus

Ethel, blow it out and cheer Nobody else could land us here Ethel, raise your cup up high Bright as headlights on the drive

Outro

Still that light across the ceiling Still that same warm, wild feeling

Verse 1

Crumbs of pork pie on the blanket Sun still warm where the day sank it You laugh and brush them from your knee And that small laugh undoes me completely

Pre-chorus

I don't need the grand or the golden Just this quiet, this way of holding Something is rising, it won't settle

Chorus

Ethel, you are steady and you're gentle Simple as a kettle on the stove Every plain thing turns to special Ethel, it's you my whole heart chose

Verse 2

You fold the blanket, shake it twice Save the last slice, call it my slice Nothing about this hour was planned But I would live in it if I can

Bridge

No metal could weigh more than this feeling No ceiling higher than your name said soft Whatever we are still becoming I'm not leaving, I've counted the cost

Chorus

Ethel, you are steady and you're gentle Simple as a kettle on the stove Every plain thing turns to special Ethel, it's you my whole heart chose

Outro

Crumbs still scattered on the red Nothing wasted that your hands have fed

Verse 1

My hands rest on the edge of steel water running slow and clear I think of nothing else but you how you always bring me here

Pre-chorus

Some days are loud and some are plain but you stay steady through it all and now my heart is leaning in

Chorus

Ethel, you are gentle and you're true nothing about you feels like metal steady as a hand I hold Ethel, you are settled, and I settle

Verse 2

The kettle clicks, the morning starts you hum a tune I half recall small things become the whole of it when you're the one behind it all

Pre-chorus

Some days are loud and some are plain but you stay steady through it all and now my heart is leaning in

Chorus

Ethel, you are gentle and you're true nothing about you feels like metal steady as a hand I hold Ethel, you are settled, and I settle

Bridge

No grand words, just this quiet room just your hands and mine close by that is where I want to stay

Chorus

Ethel, you are gentle and you're true nothing about you feels like metal steady as a hand I hold Ethel, you are settled, and I settle

Outro

My hands still rest here on the steel and still it's you I'm thinking of

Verse 1

Rain taps the bench where we sit Green plastic, cold under my hand I don't need the crossing to end I just need you close as we land

Pre-chorus

You don't ask for much from me Just this seat and the sound of the sea But I've got more than that to give

Chorus

Ethel, you make the grey feel gentle You turn the noise down low Nothing about you is metal You're the softest place I know

Verse 2

The ferry rocks and you don't move You watch the water, calm and still I think that's why I trust you so true You've never once needed to prove you will

Chorus

Ethel, you make the grey feel gentle You turn the noise down low Nothing about you is metal You're the softest place I know

Bridge

No storm has ever made you run You settle in, you stay for the ride I'd cross this water again and again Just to sit right here by your side

Chorus

Ethel, you make the grey feel gentle You turn the noise down low Nothing about you is metal You're the softest place I know

Outro

Let the rain keep tapping the glass I'll stay on this bench as long as you last

Verse 1

The white curtain lifts and falls like it's breathing beside you and every soft wave of it only wants to guide you down into the calm where the whole wide night grows still you are held here so gently, wrapped against the chill

Chorus

Ethel, the dark is only a blanket pulled up slow Ethel, there's nowhere safer than the place you already know let your small breath ease out and settle like a bell rest now, you are loved more than these words could tell

Verse 2

The wooden bars stand round you like arms that never tire holding back the shadows, keeping in the warmth like fire nothing in this room would ever let a worry stay so close your eyes and let the whole night drift away

Pre-chorus

Somewhere the curtain sighs and slips back into place hush is filling every corner, every quiet space and sleep is coming closer, softer than it's ever been

Chorus

Ethel, the dark is only a blanket pulled up slow Ethel, there's nowhere safer than the place you already know let your small breath ease out and settle like a bell rest now, you are loved more than these words could tell

Bridge

No need to hold on tight, no need to keep watch anymore you can let the whole day go and rest against the floor of night someone is here now, someone always will be near

Chorus

Ethel, the dark is only a blanket pulled up slow Ethel, there's nowhere safer than the place you already know let your small breath ease out and settle like a bell rest now, you are loved more than these words could tell

Outro

The curtain breathes in slowly, the room has gone so still sleep well, little Ethel, you always, always will

Verse 1

The hallway keeps a small light burning low beneath your door A golden little seam laid soft across the carpet floor It waits there while you drift beyond the edge of thinking And it will still be waiting long after you ask for more

Chorus

Ethel, close your eyes now, let the whole house settle You are held so gently like a folded petal Ethel, nothing in the dark can touch you here tonight Sleep is just another name we give to feeling right

Verse 2

Somewhere past that thin bright line a heart is keeping watch for you Counting every breath you take until the morning comes in view No sound will slip in past the hush that wraps around this room Only love stood quiet guard the whole night through

Pre-chorus

The light beneath the door won't ever go out on you It's small but it is steady, it is faithful and it's true So let your shoulders soften now, there's nowhere left to go but

Chorus

Ethel, close your eyes now, let the whole house settle You are held so gently like a folded petal Ethel, nothing in the dark can touch you here tonight Sleep is just another name we give to feeling right

Bridge

Rest now, there is nothing you must carry, nothing owed Every soft thing in this house was made to ease your load

Chorus

Ethel, close your eyes now, let the whole house settle You are held so gently like a folded petal Ethel, nothing in the dark can touch you here tonight Sleep is just another name we give to feeling right

Outro

The light beneath the door will still be gold when morning comes And you will wake up loved, the way you fell asleep, the same

Verse 1

Somebody breathed on the cold glass pane and watched it slowly clear The night rolled up against the window, gentle as your name You traced a small warm circle there and knew that I was near It fogged and cleared, it fogged again, and nothing stayed the same

Pre-chorus

Rest your head, let the whole wide house go quiet Let the dark be just another blanket laid down soft There is nothing out there wilder than this hush

Chorus

Ethel, close your eyes, the night has settled kind and slow Somewhere past the glass the wind has turned so gentle Ethel, you're the warmest light this small room will ever know Sleep is just a petal folding, soft as Ethel

Verse 2

The glass held your breath a moment, then it let it go so light Like every worry you were carrying could simply drift and fade I watched the small cloud shrink and vanish into the calm night And felt how safe this quiet corner of the world we'd made

Pre-chorus

Rest your head, let the whole wide house go quiet Let the dark be just another blanket laid down soft There is nothing out there wilder than this hush

Chorus

Ethel, close your eyes, the night has settled kind and slow Somewhere past the glass the wind has turned so gentle Ethel, you're the warmest light this small room will ever know Sleep is just a petal folding, soft as Ethel

Bridge

Whatever door the morning opens, I'll be standing near Hold this small warm hush a little longer, love, don't fear

Chorus

Ethel, close your eyes, the night has settled kind and slow Somewhere past the glass the wind has turned so gentle Ethel, you're the warmest light this small room will ever know Sleep is just a petal folding, soft as Ethel

Outro

The glass has cleared now, and the stars are watching soft and slow Sleep, my Ethel, breathe out gently, let the whole night go