Half Your Orange

Verse 1

At the ferry stop, the rain came sideways

You held your coat above my head

Your paper map ran blue with water

And the last boat’s engine groaned ahead

You said your brother kept a room for us

Above a bakery near the square

I laughed like I had somewhere better

Then followed you up every stair

Pre-Chorus

The town was closing shutters

The river pulled the dark along

You found a key beneath a flowerpot

And asked if I could stay till dawn

Chorus

So I stayed while the bread was rising

While the old pipes knocked in the wall

You told me why you left in winter

I told you I was scared to call

When morning laid its hand on the window

We had nowhere we had to be

You gave me half your orange

And a reason to believe in leaving gently

Verse 2

By noon we crossed the market lanes

Past pears stacked high in wooden crates

You knew the butcher by his whistle

I knew the weight of missed-up dates

You showed me where your mother planted

Rosemary beside the railway stone

I brushed the dust from her small marker

You said, “I still come here alone”

Pre-Chorus

I didn’t try to mend it

I just stood there by your side

You let the quiet tell the whole thing

Then took my hand and walked outside

Chorus

So I stayed while the bread was rising

While the old pipes knocked in the wall

You told me why you left in winter

I told you I was scared to call

When morning laid its hand on the window

We had nowhere we had to be

You gave me half your orange

And a reason to believe in leaving gently

Bridge

Years later, when the roof came down

And every room was boxed and bare

We found that blue map in a drawer

The river still ran through it there

You said, “I thought I’d lose that morning”

I said, “You never lost it, love”

Some doors are only one night open

Some stay open when you choose enough

Final Chorus

We stayed while the bread was rising

While the old pipes knocked in the wall

You told me why you left in winter

I learned that I could make the call

Now morning lays its hand on our window

And there’s nowhere we have to be

You still give me half your orange

And a home that keeps on choosing me

Outro

At the ferry stop, the rain came sideways

You held your coat above my head