Songs for Nathan

Verse 1

Crates stacked up outside the stall Bruised nectarines about to fall Nobody wants the battered ones But you're the sweetest under the sun

Pre-chorus

Skin a little marked don't mean it's spoiled Best fruit's always the one that's toiled So light the candles, let's get loud

Chorus

Nathan, Nathan, pull up a chair We waited all year to see you there Nathan, grab that fiddle, let it ring Bruised and sweet is a beautiful thing

Verse 2

Pick the ripest, leave the rest You always come out as the best Dented boxes, dusty road Still you carry the whole load

Pre-chorus

Skin a little marked don't mean it's spoiled Best fruit's always the one that's toiled So light the candles, let's get loud

Chorus

Nathan, Nathan, pull up a chair We waited all year to see you there Nathan, grab that fiddle, let it ring Bruised and sweet is a beautiful thing

Bridge

Banjo's tuning, feet start tapping Whole room's clapping, nobody's napping Here's to the years that left their marks Here's to you lighting up the dark

Chorus

Nathan, Nathan, pull up a chair We waited all year to see you there Nathan, grab that fiddle, let it ring Bruised and sweet is a beautiful thing

Outro

Take the last nectarine, it's yours Sweetest thing that walked through these doors

Verse 1

Two chairs left out on the grass Damp seats waiting for you to pass Hosepipe curled up orange and still We keep a place, we never gave in

Pre-chorus

Something in the yard says stay Something in us won't look away So light the candles, don't delay

Chorus

Nathan, the room is loud for you Every horn is playing true We're raising cups high above Nathan, you're the one we love

Verse 2

The garden holds the shape you left Every chair still knows your weight We watered nothing, just the grass Just stood here glad, and glad we waited

Pre-chorus

Something in the yard says stay Something in us won't look away So light the candles, don't delay

Chorus

Nathan, the room is loud for you Every horn is playing true We're raising cups high above Nathan, you're the one we love

Bridge

Another year, we're not done singing Brass and voices, all still climbing However far this year has taken We're still here, we're wide awake in

Chorus

Nathan, the room is loud for you Every horn is playing true We're raising cups high above Nathan, you're the one we love

Outro

Fold the chairs when the party's done But leave the space for the next one

Verse 1

We're hauling tables out the hall Setting them up just for you Someone's shouting, someone's stalled But we all know why we're due

Pre-chorus

The candles won't light themselves Somebody grab the tray We're one shout from the chorus

Chorus

Nathan, this whole room's for you Every folded chair's in place Somebody's saved a seat, Nathan Just to see that grin on your face

Verse 2

You always fix the wonky leg Before we even ask You'll laugh it off, you'll never beg For thanks, though you're the last

Bridge

So let the green light hum along Let every table hold its weight Tonight the whole room sings your song And nobody minds we're running late

Chorus

Nathan, this whole room's for you Every folded chair's in place Somebody's saved a seat, Nathan Just to see that grin on your face

Outro

We'll fold the tables back again But you're the one who made it stand

Verse 1

I set the phone down careless left it lying upside down on the cloth with all them flowers I keep waitin' on your sound

Pre-chorus

Every minute feels like standing still hoping that the bell will ring holding on against my will

Chorus

Nathan, you're the voice I need slow and steady, never caving in Nathan, don't you leave me waitin' come on home and love me again

Verse 2

The kitchen light is burning low shadows stretch across the floor I keep glancing at that handset wondering if you'll walk through that door

Pre-chorus

Every minute feels like standing still hoping that the bell will ring holding on against my will

Chorus

Nathan, you're the voice I need slow and steady, never caving in Nathan, don't you leave me waitin' come on home and love me again

Bridge

No need to rush or shout it out just be there when I call your name that's enough to ease my doubt steady love, it stays the same

Chorus

Nathan, you're the voice I need slow and steady, never caving in Nathan, don't you leave me waitin' come on home and love me again

Outro

I'll leave that phone right where it lies waitin' on your voice, my quiet prize

Verse 1

Chips gone cold on the counter Paper gone soft with the heat You laugh at the mess we made You make the small hours sweet

Chorus

Nathan, the kettle's still warm Two more minutes, then we'll go Nothing about this is fancy But you're the best thing I know

Verse 2

You wipe the grease from your hands Say the food was worth the wait I watch you laughing at nothing And think how good this feels, of late

Pre-chorus

I don't need the streetlights golden I don't need the night to slow I just need you a little closer

Chorus

Nathan, the kettle's still warm Two more minutes, then we'll go Nothing about this is fancy But you're the best thing I know

Bridge

Some nights it's chips on a counter Some nights it's nothing at all But you make the ordinary hold me Steady as a hand on a wall

Chorus

Nathan, the kettle's still warm Two more minutes, then we'll go Nothing about this is fancy But you're the best thing I know

Outro

The paper's gone dark with the grease And I'd still choose this, every time

Verse 1

Rain caught on a wheel's thin spoke Hangs there before it falls I watch it and think of you How you never rush at all

Pre-chorus

I've learned to read the quiet The way you let things be It's building into something

Chorus

Nathan, you don't have to shout it Love that stays doesn't wave in I know it by the way you're near me Quiet as that, Nathan, sure as rain

Verse 2

You leave your boots out by the door Water dark across the toe I never mind the mess you bring It means you're home, and I don't let go

Bridge

Some hearts need the noise and shine Mine just needed patient time You gave me that without a fight Now every ordinary hour feels right

Chorus

Nathan, you don't have to shout it Love that stays doesn't wave in I know it by the way you're near me Quiet as that, Nathan, sure as rain

Outro

The spoke still turns, the drop still falls I'm still here, past all the noise

Verse 1

The window's wearing breath like a soft grey little veil Outside the raindrops chase each other down and down But you are tucked in close where nothing cold can sail Warm as morning bread in this small quiet town

Pre-chorus

Let the glass stay fogged, let the night keep its weather Nothing out there needs you, nothing out there will call Close your eyes now, we'll drift through the dark together

Chorus

Nathan, the rain can't reach where you're lying Sleep is a boat and I'm rocking it slow Nothing tonight is worth you sighing Nathan, it's only the wind that you hear go

Verse 2

Somewhere a drop is racing another down the pane Racing to nowhere, the way small worries do Let them run their little race out there in the rain None of that hurry has anything to do with you

Bridge

Every breath you take mists up the morning to come Every hour is soft, every hour is slow

Chorus

Nathan, the rain can't reach where you're lying Sleep is a boat and I'm rocking it slow Nothing tonight is worth you sighing Nathan, it's only the wind that you hear go

Outro

The glass will clear by morning, the light will find the pane But you were always warmer than any storm or rain

Verse 1

Soot is sliding soft and slow behind the iron door Nothing in this house is stirring, nothing more Close your eyes and let the last light fade in You are held here, you don't need to wait for anything more

Pre-chorus

Hush now, let the embers settle deep and low Every little sound is turning into snow So sleep, my love, and let the quiet in

Chorus

Nathan, Nathan, warm as coals that never cave in Sleep is coming gentle, easy as a wave in Nothing here will hurt you, nothing here will grave in You're the softest thing this tired house has gathered in

Verse 2

Bricks are cooling red to grey the longer that we wait Somewhere far away a door has shut its heavy gate Rest your head, let all the day just drain in There is nowhere you should be but here, this late

Pre-chorus

Hush now, let the embers settle deep and low Every little sound is turning into snow So sleep, my love, and let the quiet in

Chorus

Nathan, Nathan, warm as coals that never cave in Sleep is coming gentle, easy as a wave in Nothing here will hurt you, nothing here will grave in You're the softest thing this tired house has gathered in

Bridge

Somewhere past the damper, the whole wide night is still Nobody will wake you, nobody ever will

Chorus

Nathan, Nathan, warm as coals that never cave in Sleep is coming gentle, easy as a wave in Nothing here will hurt you, nothing here will grave in You're the softest thing this tired house has gathered in

Outro

Soot will keep on sliding long after you have gone to sleep Safe behind the iron, safe and yours to keep

Verse 1

Somewhere behind us the old chair rocks and sighs Easing us gently while the lamp light softly dies Every small creak is a hand upon your back Nothing can reach you down this warm and quiet track

Pre-chorus

Your breathing slows to match the wooden floor Sleep is a door that opens just a little more Come closer now to where the hush is waiting

Chorus

Nathan, the night has room enough to hold you Softly the dark wraps round to fold you Rest in the sound that rocks and never leaves you Nothing tonight has any wish to grieve you

Verse 2

Under your cheek the pillow keeps its gentle heat Somewhere below us the floorboards hum a slow repeat You are the reason this whole room stays so still Wrapped in a calm that no small worry can spill

Chorus

Nathan, the night has room enough to hold you Softly the dark wraps round to fold you Rest in the sound that rocks and never leaves you Nothing tonight has any wish to grieve you

Bridge

Hush now, the whole wide house has learned to lean your way Even the shadows soften till the coming day

Chorus

Nathan, the night has room enough to hold you Softly the dark wraps round to fold you Rest in the sound that rocks and never leaves you Nothing tonight has any wish to grieve you

Outro

Somewhere the chair keeps rocking long after you sleep Loving you quietly is the only watch it keeps