Tell Them I Sang It Right

Lyrics

The hall is nearly empty and the chairs are stacked in rows
I'm humming by the doorway where the evening sunlight goes
My name was called politely and I walked across the stage
A small and shaky moment, turning a gentle page

Tell them I sang it right, tell them I stood up tall
Tell them the little songs we wrote still echo down the hall
Tell them I held the harmony when the high note wouldn't stay
And I'm quietly proud of every step along the way

We practised in the stairwell where the echo was so kind
We shared a single microphone with nothing on our mind
You taught me how to breathe in, and let the long note ring
And now I'm hearing every word of everything we sing

Tell them I sang it right, tell them I stood up tall
Tell them the little songs we wrote still echo down the hall
Tell them I held the harmony when the high note wouldn't stay
And I'm quietly proud of every step along the way

No gold, no standing ovation
Just the hush after the tune
The scent of chalk and cedar
And a lantern in the room

So here's to all the teachers and the friends who carried me
The ones who clapped for wobbly verses, lent me melody
I'll take it to the city and I'll take it to the sea
The way you taught me, gently, how to simply be

Tell them I sang it right, tell them I stood up tall
Tell them the little songs we wrote still echo down the hall
Tell them I held the harmony when the high note wouldn't stay
And I'm quietly proud of every step along the way

Tell them I sang it right
Quietly proud, tonight