Lyrics
The roll sits in my jacketWrapped twice inside a bagI leave it on the tableAnd keep the room light on
No red bulb, no chemicalsNo water in the traysIf I never make the picturesThey can’t tell me what comes next
I know exactly what I shotThe garage, stairs, the streetThe final frames were pointed downAt concrete by my feet
I never aimed behind myselfI never faced the doorBut every time I pass the bagThe canister clicks once more
Knowledge is a choiceThat’s what I tell the roomAn image cannot hurt meIf I never let it bloom
Don’t develop itLeave the future blindDon’t give silver somethingIt can hold against my mind
Don’t develop itLet the roll stay sealedI can live with not knowingWhat the last exposure revealed
At two I take the bag downstairsAt three I bring it backAt four the kitchen smells like fixThough every bottle’s capped
I check the sink, I check my handsNo stain along my skinThen under the locked darkroom doorA red line flickers thin
I never switched the power onI never filled the trayStill something drips in measured beatsFrom somewhere past the frame
Maybe seeing isn’t causing itMaybe seeing is the warningMaybe every frame I hideStill arrives before the morning
KEEP IT SEALEDKEEP IT BLACKDON’T TURN THE LIGHTDON’T LOOK BACK
NO PRINTNO PROOFNO IMAGE TO KNOWTHEN WHY IS THE DARKROOMALREADY AGLOW
Don’t develop itI say it at the doorDon’t develop itWhile the motor turns once more
Don’t develop itBut the red light staysAnd a wet photograph slides slowlyFrom an empty tray
I don’t pick it upI don’t need toThe picture is facing me
