Only When I Sing
A minimal soul ballad with 2000’s R&B polish, starting with sparse Rhodes piano and deep sub-bass. Emotional melismas and dramatic vocal phrasing glide over a hushed beat. Strings and subtle synth layers enter, swelling into a cinematic crescendo, all in pristine studio quality.
Only When I Sing
A minimal soul ballad with 2000’s R&B polish, starting with sparse Rhodes piano and deep sub-bass. Emotional melismas and dramatic vocal phrasing glide over a hushed beat. Strings and subtle synth layers enter, swelling into a cinematic crescendo, all in pristine studio quality.
Lyrics
Intro
Verse 1
You ask me how I'm doing
Like I don’t know what that means
I nod, I smile, I whisper
But I’m bursting at the seams
Pre-Chorus
I buried all my questions
Inside the songs I hum
You never caught the message
But I still let it run
Chorus
Only when I sing
You might hear what I can't say
Only when the notes bend
Can the silence fall away
Every word I couldn’t speak
Rises out on broken wings
You don’t know me when I’m talking
You only know me when I sing
Verse 2
I tried to draw you closer
With every line I played
But you just heard a rhythm
Not the truth I couldn't say
Pre-Chorus
So I stitched my heart in lyrics
And let the chorus cry
You danced and sang along but
Never asked me why
Chorus
Only when I sing
You might hear what I can't say
Only when the notes bend
Can the silence fall away
Every word I couldn’t speak
Rises out on broken wings
You don’t know me when I’m talking
You only know me when I sing
Bridge
No, I never had the courage
Till the music pulled it free
Every crack and every tremble
Is a secret part of me
Chorus
Only when I sing
You might hear what I can't say
Only when I break the notes
Can the silence fade away
Every word I couldn’t speak
Rises out on broken wings
You never really knew me
You only know me when I sing
Outro