This song came to me in a songwriting group, led by Peter Mulvey. For me, the man is a catalyst. He hummed the melody and played a bouncy accompaniment and I heard the word careful. The rest of the lyrics are below. You can hear a recording here.
Careful
Careful
You’re about to get an earful
Or even get a mouthful
And wouldn’t that suck?
You’re not
The only story at the bus stop
The only one who needs a day off
You’re the loud one on the phone
I know
I’m the one who’s got the headphones
With the monologue of my own
But it’s the one that I chose
I’m not
Trying to keep you within earshot
So I’m applying earblock
To hear myself think
Take me
Where I can think clearly
And maybe
I won’t mind my mind
This city
Where everybody sits near me
And I’m learning how to sit beside myself
Tell me
Who’s the tallest in your family
Who’s carrying a baby
Who’s carrying grief
Me, I was an ocean in my past life
I don’t know why I look away
When people wave