Songs for Nellie

Verse 1

Fingers tracing the cardboard sleeve Jazz spilling out from the corner speaker You hum the part before it starts Nothing about this needs to be brief

Pre-chorus

I watch you more than I watch the room Something in me keeps leaning toward you Waiting on the next thing you'll do

Chorus

Nellie, you make the quiet feel full Nellie, you turn the plain into gold No one else moves through a room like you There's no version of this without you

Verse 2

You set the needle down so careful Like the song might break if you rush it You've got that same care in your hands When you reach for me across the couch

Bridge

I don't need the song to say it You already know the truth in me This isn't new, and it isn't loud It's just steady, the way good love should be

Chorus

Nellie, you make the quiet feel full Nellie, you turn the plain into gold No one else moves through a room like you There's no version of this without you

Outro

The record ends, the needle lifts Your fingers still resting on that same sleeve

Verse 1

Wind cuts sideways off the water Coats pulled tight, we hold on tighter You pass me mine with steady hands I don't say much, you understand

Chorus

Nellie, warmth is what you're made of Even here, that's what I'm sure of Hold the mug and hold my sleeve Nellie, this is all I need

Verse 2

Steam rising off the plastic rim You lean in closer than the wind Nobody else would brave this crossing No one else worth all this waiting

Pre-chorus

I've loved you in the easy weather Loved you when it all felt heavier Nothing's changed except it's clearer

Chorus

Nellie, warmth is what you're made of Even here, that's what I'm sure of Hold the mug and hold my sleeve Nellie, this is all I need

Bridge

Let the water stay this rough You're the reason I don't rush Every crossing feels like home When I'm not making it alone

Chorus

Nellie, warmth is what you're made of Even here, that's what I'm sure of Hold the mug and hold my sleeve Nellie, this is all I need

Outro

Two mugs going cold together Still the warmest I've ever felt

Verse 1

Frost cracks soft beneath our boots Dusk is settling on the yard Old tyre gone stiff and grey Yet you still hold my heart hard

Pre-chorus

Nothing here needs to be said The light is nearly out of reach Still I want you close instead

Chorus

Nellie, you're the warm in this cold night Steady as the ground we stand on You're the reason dusk feels right Nellie, long after the light is gone

Verse 2

Your breath shows white in the air You don't rush to fill the quiet We stand by the frozen wheel Calm moves in and calls off the riot

Bridge

No need for a bigger scene than this Just your hand finding mine in the cold This is the whole of it, plain as breath Simple as a love that's grown old

Chorus

Nellie, you're the warm in this cold night Steady as the ground we stand on You're the reason dusk feels right Nellie, long after the light is gone

Outro

The frost will thaw by morning light But you're the warmth I'll always find

Verse 1

The kitchen has gone quiet now, the spoon set down to rest A small clean sound of nothing left inside the jar tonight Everything that moved today has settled soft and slow And you are held here safely in the fading light

Pre-chorus

Your breathing finds the rhythm of the house at ease The clock has stopped its hurrying, the dark leans warm and near Close your eyes, my darling, let the quiet carry you

Chorus

Nellie, the whole world softens down to just this room You are the calm the evening's been keeping safe for you Nellie, there is nothing here that needs to wait till morning Sleep now, and know this love was always steady, always true

Verse 2

The jar upon the draining board is glinting faint and still It held its little clatter and it let the whole day go You are held the same way, gentle, sure and unafraid Wrapped in something quiet only you could ever know

Pre-chorus

Your breathing finds the rhythm of the house at ease The clock has stopped its hurrying, the dark leans warm and near Close your eyes, my darling, let the quiet carry you

Chorus

Nellie, the whole world softens down to just this room You are the calm the evening's been keeping safe for you Nellie, there is nothing here that needs to wait till morning Sleep now, and know this love was always steady, always true

Bridge

No sound but your small breath and the settling of the house Nothing in the dark tonight was ever meant to trouble you

Chorus

Nellie, the whole world softens down to just this room You are the calm the evening's been keeping safe for you Nellie, there is nothing here that needs to wait till morning Sleep now, and know this love was always steady, always true

Outro

Somewhere the spoon rests quiet in its jar until the light So rest now, little Nellie, safe and held and warm all night

Verse 1

The grey curtains shiver as far wheels rumble and fade away and the glass stays closed and quiet, keeping the cold at bay but you are warmer than any blanket the night could give you are the reason this whole small room feels so alive

Chorus

Nellie, the dark is only a curtain drawn soft and slow Nellie, you are held here closer than you could ever know sleep with the hush of the wheels still turning far and thin you are the safest sound this quiet house tucks in

Verse 2

Somewhere a carriage is rolling off toward a road unseen but you are staying, wrapped in the warmth of where you have been the glass won't rattle loose while you are curled up this way you are the calm that gathers at the end of the day

Pre-chorus

Let the last wheels fade until the street forgets they came hold this small room around you like a low and steady flame and drift now toward the hush that's waiting to call your name

Chorus

Nellie, the dark is only a curtain drawn soft and slow Nellie, you are held here closer than you could ever know sleep with the hush of the wheels still turning far and thin you are the safest sound this quiet house tucks in

Bridge

No wheel, no wind can reach you where you softly lie you are loved beyond the hush of every passing sky

Chorus

Nellie, the dark is only a curtain drawn soft and slow Nellie, you are held here closer than you could ever know sleep with the hush of the wheels still turning far and thin you are the safest sound this quiet house tucks in

Outro

The curtains settle now, grey and still against the glass and you sleep on, held safe, while the last wheels quietly pass

Verse 1

Somewhere a window is misting soft with the breath of night Little clouds sliding down slow where the cold used to be You are the warmth that keeps chasing that silvery light Nellie, my quiet one, safe here with me

Pre-chorus

Hush now, the glass has gone cloudy and still Nothing can reach through the fog to find you Close up your eyes while the dark holds you gentle and true

Chorus

Nellie, the night is a blanket wrapped soft round your bones Sleep finds you sweeter than honey, than jelly, than dew Nobody's calling you home for you never left home Nellie, this house has been waiting all evening for you

Verse 2

Rows of small seats sit forgotten and empty tonight But you are not empty, you're full up with dreams to unfold Traced in the damp is a heart, and it beats out of sight Watching you sleeping is worth far more than gold

Bridge

Rest your small head where the hush likes to stay Morning will come, but it's not due yet, not yet

Chorus

Nellie, the night is a blanket wrapped soft round your bones Sleep finds you sweeter than honey, than jelly, than dew Nobody's calling you home for you never left home Nellie, this house has been waiting all evening for you

Outro

The glass has gone clear now, the misting has cleared from the pane Sleep well, little Nellie, till morning comes round again