Track 2 of the album The Long Thaw · 2018
Three A.M. on Ward Nine
“Night shift on the ward, soft shoes on the linoleum. The oboe sits where the lamp would be.”
art song · art song · chamber song · 4:11
Lyrics
The ward is a lantern turned low Soft shoes on the linoleum glow A clock keeps its slow, steady time While the sleepers drift on through their night I check the small lines and the screens I tuck in the corner of a sheet A woman is dreaming of the sea And I stand by the bed, keeping watch Three in the morning, the world holds its breath And I am the one who stays awake Little lights blinking like stars on the water Someone is safe for the sake of my staying Three in the morning, hush now, hush now A man asks me softly the hour I tell him the morning is near He smiles and he closes his eyes And I carry his quiet away No one will sing of this hour No one will hear these small steps But the night is a harbour of hands And mine are the lamp at the door Three in the morning, the world holds its breath And I am the one who stays awake Little lights blinking like stars on the water Someone is safe for the sake of my staying Three in the morning, hush now, hush now Hush now The morning is near