Switch in the Dark
Verse 1 I woke up on a mattress, not the one I know
The plaster on the ceiling has a different flow. Suitcase in the corner
half-unpacked and gray
Noises from the street sound miles away. No photos on the drywall
no scuff marks on the floor
Just the smell of latex and a locking door. Stomach turning over
wondering why I came
Staring at a mailbox without a printed name.
Verse 2 The first night here I fumbled
hitting skin on brick, Searching for the toggle
feeling scared and sick. Every shadow waited
heavy on the wall, I slept with boots on
waiting for the fall. Missing all the old sounds
the fridge that used to hum
Even though that old life left me feeling numb. I missed the broken tile where I knew the crack
Before I packed the boxes and never looked back.
Pre-Chorus They talk about a new start like a rising sun
Like running in the morning when the night is done. They don’t talk about the milk crate or the plastic fork
Eating cold takeout, staring at the cork.
Chorus But tonight I found the switch without a single thought
Hand upon the plastic
exactly where it ought. The bulb came on buzzing
lighting up the mess, Laundry in a basket
a new and strange address. It sounds like almost nothing
just a simple click
But the wire in the chest didn’t feel as thick. A tiny little moment
a breath I finally drew, Proof that I am staying
starting something new.
Verse 3 I’m learning how the pipes knock before the water heats
The rhythm of the traffic on the busy streets. The way the second step will groan beneath the weight
The heavy-footed neighbor coming home too late. The guy down at the corner nods when I walk in
He knows I take it black and gives a little grin. The driver on the bus route looks me in the eye
Another regular who watches days go by.
Pre-Chorus It doesn’t fix the damage or the time I lost
Or pay back all the hours or the heavy cost. But habits start to settle
heavy on the scale, Moving from the wreckage
past the old fail.
Chorus But tonight I found the switch without a single thought
Hand upon the plastic
exactly where it ought. The bulb came on buzzing
lighting up the mess, Laundry in a basket
a new and strange address. It sounds like almost nothing
just a simple click
But the wire in the chest didn’t feel as thick. A tiny little moment
a breath I finally drew, Proof that I am staying
starting something new.
Bridge One day this apartment will be the one I leave
I’ll tell the funny stories that I don’t believe. I’ll talk about the drafts and the noisy floor
But I will hold the memory of the locking door. The night the fear subsided
the night I settled down
Planting distinct roots in this heavy town. Not because I had to
but because I chose
Standing in the kitchen in my sleeping clothes.
Outro I turn the light back off, standing in the black
Listening to the heater make a metal crack. I smile in the darkness
then I climb in bed
Finally at home inside my tired head.