Track 1 of the album One More Verse Before the Lights Come Up · 2026
Walk to the Stool Like You Mean It
by Wren Hallett
“The cafe lights are yellow, the mic stand wobbles slightly, and I walk to the stool like I mean it. It's a pep talk I give myself, out loud.”
xinyao · xinyao-tinged folk · hopeful folk · 2:43
Lyrics
The cafe lights are yellow The mic stand wobbles slightly My hands are cold as teaspoons My song is thin but likely I've written it in notebooks On buses and on stairs Tonight it leaves my pocket And finds the open air Walk to the stool like you mean it Plant both feet and breathe A small voice is still a voice And it's mine, and I'll believe Let the first chord ring a little Let the quiet lean in near Walk to the stool like you mean it I'm finally here A stranger by the window Is stirring something slow The barista stops her steaming To hear the first lines go My voice goes thin, then steadies It finds a little floor And someone near the doorway Is humming at the door Walk to the stool like you mean it Plant both feet and breathe A small voice is still a voice And it's mine, and I'll believe Let the first chord ring a little Let the quiet lean in near Walk to the stool like you mean it I'm finally here Every singer began like this With a shaking hand A borrowed pick, a hopeful tune A little room to stand Walk to the stool like you mean it Plant both feet and breathe A small voice is still a voice And it's mine, and I'll believe Let the first chord ring a little Let the quiet lean in near Walk to the stool like you mean it I'm finally here I'm finally here