Songs for Fred

Verse 1

Boots cut prints through melting grey Bicycle frozen gold and still You left tracks the whole way here Nobody walks it like you will

Pre-chorus

Candles catching in the cold Everyone's counting down out loud We've got one thing left to say

Chorus

Fred, this whole room's yours tonight Cake and noise and candles lit We were waiting just for Fred Nothing here would work without it

Verse 2

That bike's been parked since who knows when Rust and frost along the frame But you still ride it anyway You don't do a thing the same

Bridge

Slush won't keep your footprints long Doesn't mean you don't belong Every year you show back up We keep singing, we keep loud

Chorus

Fred, this whole room's yours tonight Cake and noise and candles lit We were waiting just for Fred Nothing here would work without it

Outro

Snow will melt where you once stood We remember. Frozen gold

Verse 1

A bulb keeps flickering overhead Boxes stacked up, spilling green You made a home from what we had Best kept thing I've ever seen

Pre-chorus

You never needed much at all Just a light and a bit of bread Now the whole room's on its feet

Chorus

Happy birthday, Fred, Fred, Fred Light the candles, raise your head Every year that you've been led Right back here, to us, instead

Verse 2

You'd hand out pears before they turned Kept the sweetest ones for us Never once kept count of what you gave That's the kind of love you trust

Bridge

So let the bulb keep burning on Let the boxes stay a mess One more year of you is plenty One more year, we're truly blessed

Chorus

Happy birthday, Fred, Fred, Fred Light the candles, raise your head Every year that you've been led Right back here, to us, instead

Outro

Somewhere there's a bulb still glowing Over pears you piled so high

Verse 1

Something's thumping through the chairs Yellow legs and crooked stares Everybody's turning round Waiting for you on the stairs

Pre-chorus

We been saving up this noise Counting down since you walked in Here it comes, so lift your head

Chorus

Fred, the room was made for you Loud and bright and coming through Nobody fills a space like this Fred, we're glad that you were led

Verse 2

Speakers shake beneath our feet Every voice out here repeats Nobody planned it quite this loud But you deserve this kind of heat

Pre-chorus

We been saving up this noise Counting down since you walked in Here it comes, so lift your head

Chorus

Fred, the room was made for you Loud and bright and coming through Nobody fills a space like this Fred, we're glad that you were led

Bridge

Every year we say the same Nothing here has really changed You're still the one who lights the floor The one this whole thing's arranged around

Chorus

Fred, the room was made for you Loud and bright and coming through Nobody fills a space like this Fred, we're glad that you were led

Outro

Chairs still shaking, drums still spin Happy birthday, Fred, come in

Verse 1

The bench is cold but you sit close You never make me feel behind There's something in the way you stay Like time forgot what it designed

Chorus

Fred, you're the calm inside my chest Not loud, not fast, just steady, true Fred, you're the one I trust the best No clock could count what I owe you

Verse 2

We've worn this bench down soft and green You laugh the same as you did then Nothing about us needs to prove a thing We just come back here again

Pre-chorus

The hands above us barely move Like they know we're not in a rush So say you'll stay, say you'll stay

Chorus

Fred, you're the calm inside my chest Not loud, not fast, just steady, true Fred, you're the one I trust the best No clock could count what I owe you

Bridge

Let the whole world spin too fast We'll sit here till it's done You are the quiet that I trust The stillness I chose, not just found

Chorus

Fred, you're the calm inside my chest Not loud, not fast, just steady, true Fred, you're the one I trust the best No clock could count what I owe you

Outro

The bench will hold this shape we made Long after the hour's had its say

Verse 1

We hung our coats out on the fence Above the ash where the fire went The smoke had turned to a thin grey thread I still felt warm beside you, Fred

Chorus

Fred, you're the fire I bank at night The last low coal that keeps me right No matter what the day has said You're still the warmth I come back to, Fred

Verse 2

Some loves are loud and some are quiet Mine's just steady, never a riot It's just this feeling, plain as bread Simple as your name, Fred

Pre-chorus

I don't need the fire lit high Just need you standing close, that's why Every ember waits for you instead

Chorus

Fred, you're the fire I bank at night The last low coal that keeps me right No matter what the day has said You're still the warmth I come back to, Fred

Bridge

Years could pass or none at all You're the one I'd always call Through every season, still ahead You're the constant thing, Fred

Chorus

Fred, you're the fire I bank at night The last low coal that keeps me right No matter what the day has said You're still the warmth I come back to, Fred

Outro

The coats still hang above the ash You're the warmth that outlasts flash

Verse 1

The phone clicks down beside the plate Crumbs left over from your bread I sit here in the quiet after Just glad to have you, Fred

Pre-chorus

Nothing fancy happened here tonight Just supper and a little talk But something in this small room settles When I hear your key in the lock

Chorus

Fred, you make the plain days worth it Fred, you turn a house into a home Not for what you say or promise Just for knowing you're not alone

Verse 2

I keep the tin plate on the shelf Long after supper's cleared away It holds the shape of every evening Where you sat and had your say

Chorus

Fred, you make the plain days worth it Fred, you turn a house into a home Not for what you say or promise Just for knowing you're not alone

Bridge

No speech was ever needed here Just your voice down the hall That's enough to hold me steady That's enough to say it all

Chorus

Fred, you make the plain days worth it Fred, you turn a house into a home Not for what you say or promise Just for knowing you're not alone

Outro

The plate sits empty on the table But this house still holds your name

Verse 1

Somewhere on the table a cool glass is catching light Little drops are sliding slow into the quiet night Nothing in this house tonight is asking you to run Everything is finishing, the day and you are done

Chorus

Fred, the dark is soft and it is only holding you Close your eyes now, Fred, there's nothing left to do Every drop that falls tonight is falling nice and slow You are held here safely, Fred, and safe is all you know

Verse 2

The red straps hold the glass the way my arms are holding you Steady in the stillness while the whole wide house goes blue Water finds its way down slow, it never has to rush And under all this quiet there is only gentle hush

Pre-chorus

Feel how heavy your eyes are getting now, how soft your breath has grown Nothing needs an answer and there's nowhere left to go So let the last light dim and drift where only sleep is known

Chorus

Fred, the dark is soft and it is only holding you Close your eyes now, Fred, there's nothing left to do Every drop that falls tonight is falling nice and slow You are held here safely, Fred, and safe is all you know

Bridge

However far the night goes on, you'll still be someone's rest However cold the glass may feel, you're warm against my chest

Chorus

Fred, the dark is soft and it is only holding you Close your eyes now, Fred, there's nothing left to do Every drop that falls tonight is falling nice and slow You are held here safely, Fred, and safe is all you know

Outro

The glass has gone still now and the water's found its bed Sleep on, little Fred, with the quiet round your head

Verse 1

A far light slips across the old wall by your bed Soft as a hand that only means to smooth your head Nothing tonight will come to trouble where you're led Close your eyes now, love, and drift instead

Pre-chorus

Hush now, the house breathes slow around you Every crack and shadow means no harm Sleep is only warmth about to find you

Chorus

Fred, the light is turning gentle overhead Nothing in this room will ever wish you bad You are held here safely, Fred, so rest instead Sleep is soft and near, and you are glad

Verse 2

That beam will keep on sweeping long after you're asleep Quietly it circles, a promise it will keep Wherever shadows gather, they are never deep You are watched by something soft and never steep

Chorus

Fred, the light is turning gentle overhead Nothing in this room will ever wish you bad You are held here safely, Fred, so rest instead Sleep is soft and near, and you are glad

Bridge

Let the walls grow quiet, let your breathing slow Nothing you must carry, nowhere you must go

Chorus

Fred, the light is turning gentle overhead Nothing in this room will ever wish you bad You are held here safely, Fred, so rest instead Sleep is soft and near, and you are glad

Outro

The beam will still be turning when the morning comes for you Sleep now, little Fred, the whole night's watching over you

Verse 1

The water in the pot is cooling slow and calm tonight There's nothing here that needs to hurry, nothing burning bright No lid to hold the warmth, it just goes soft upon its own And that is how I want you settling into bed

Pre-chorus

So let the day go quiet now, let every worry drop Your breathing slows the way that gentle water always stops And I am watching over you until it's calm ahead

Chorus

Fred, you are the warmest thing this whole house ever held Nothing in the dark tonight can touch you, little Fred You are so loved that even shadows soften near your head There's not a single fear that this small room has not dispelled

Verse 2

The steam has left the surface and the room breathes easy now Nothing in the stillness asks a single thing of you I'll sit here while the last of all the warmth begins to fade And know that you are safe no matter what the night has said

Pre-chorus

So let the day go quiet now, let every worry drop Your breathing slows the way that gentle water always stops And I am watching over you until it's calm ahead

Chorus

Fred, you are the warmest thing this whole house ever held Nothing in the dark tonight can touch you, little Fred You are so loved that even shadows soften near your head There's not a single fear that this small room has not dispelled

Bridge

Whatever cools by morning still was warm here in my hands However far you travel, you will always be my Fred

Chorus

Fred, you are the warmest thing this whole house ever held Nothing in the dark tonight can touch you, little Fred You are so loved that even shadows soften near your head There's not a single fear that this small room has not dispelled

Outro

The water settles quiet now, still holding all its heat Sleep on, my steady Fred, and know you're kept