Lyrics
Red light above the sinkNegatives hang in a rowThirty-six ordinary framesAt least that’s what I know
I mark the strips and make the sheetStreet corner, bridge and trainA woman running through the crosswalkThen standing there again
The sequence should be simpleI shot them left to rightBut frame nineteen shows broken glassBefore the window strike
I check the numbers twiceThe order stays the sameThe photograph came firstThe moment came again
Contact sheet, line them upTell me what I photographedContact sheet, frame by frameOne of them arrived too fast
Same street, same afternoonSame light falling on the wallI took the picture minutes firstThen watched the moment fall
I pull the negative againNo splice and no mistakeThe timestamp means nothing hereThe image stays in place
I find the broken window nowStill boarded from that nightSame angle, same reflected signSame fragments catching light
Maybe memory slippedMaybe sequence liedThen frame twenty shows my handBefore I raised it high
A camera keeps what happenedThat was the deal I knewLight enters through the shutterIt cannot enter early too
ONE FRAME EARLYTHAT’S ALL IT TOOKONE FUCKING IMAGEBEFORE I LOOKED
NO DREAMNO MEMORYNO SECOND TAKETHE FILM SAW SOMETHINGBEFORE IT TOOK PLACE
Contact sheet, line them upNow I know what doesn’t fitContact sheet, frame by frameSomething happened before it did
Same street, same afternoonBut now I know what comes nextIf one frame reached tomorrowI want to know how far it gets
I turn the contact sheet aroundAnd hold it to the redFrame thirty-six is mostly blackWith someone near the lens