Auditioning

[Verse 1]
I count the seconds after you laugh
Was that for me, or just the room?
I tilt my story toward your eyes
And change the ending if you move

[Pre-Chorus]
I learn your favorite kind of light
Wear it like it fits me right

[Chorus]
Say you want me, say it again
I can’t keep the silence from getting in
I turn myself to your favorite song
Then wonder where my own voice has gone
Say you want me, say it again
I’m so tired of auditioning

[Verse 2]
I make a joke before you can leave
I praise your taste, then copy your choice
I call it easy, call it charm
While every yes gets smaller in my voice

[Pre-Chorus]
If I’m adored, I’m safe tonight
That’s the bargain I get wrong each time

[Chorus]
Say you want me, say it again
I can’t keep the silence from getting in
I turn myself to your favorite song
Then wonder where my own voice has gone
Say you want me, say it again
I’m so tired of auditioning

[Bridge]
What if your eyes turn somewhere else?
What if I stay, and still am myself?
No perfect answer, no sudden cure
Just one true thing I don’t perform

[Final Chorus]
You may want me, you may not
I’m more than the praise I’ve been trying to get
I won’t become what you clap for
I’m still here when the cheering stops
Say you want me—I hear the old plea
But I can want you and still belong to me

[Outro]
Still belong to me