Track 5 of the album Last Call, Low Light · 2007
What the Piano Bench Remembers
“Church-hall piano taught me that a bench remembers everyone who ever sat on it. This is my thank-you to all of them.”
jazz ballad · church-hall piano · torch song · 4:53
Lyrics
The piano bench has a worn-down seat Shaped like everyone who ever sat A child with swinging legs and a scale A bride who hummed a song for that A soldier with his cap in his lap A widow with her fingers in the keys The bench keeps all of them quietly The way a river keeps the leaves What the piano bench remembers Is every hand that came to play The shy ones and the sorrowful The ones who didn't know what to say What the piano bench remembers Is that music is a way to stay I sat down once to mend a heartbreak And the wood was warm beneath my skin It held me up like a patient friend And let the first soft note begin I played a little, I cried a little The bench said nothing, kindly so Some comfort doesn't need a speaking Some comfort only needs to know What the piano bench remembers Is every hand that came to play The shy ones and the sorrowful The ones who didn't know what to say What the piano bench remembers Is that music is a way to stay When I am gone and the lid is closed Someone else will lift it up And find a little room beside the keys For a heart and a coffee cup So sit with me a little longer The night is thin and the street is wet We'll play the one we both remember The one we haven't finished yet What the piano bench remembers Is every hand that came to play The shy ones and the sorrowful The ones who didn't know what to say What the piano bench remembers Is that music is a way to stay Is that music is a way to stay