You Can Have The Last Word

A man who hands over the final word in every argument as a move — and never once stays to find out whether he would have won.

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You Can Have The Last Word lyrics

Artist-supplied lyric sheet, matched by title. The sheet may differ from this released performance. Production notes and alternate promotional cuts are omitted.

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Verse 1

Go 'head and take it, I ain't reaching through that doorway for it back. I been finished since the second thing you said to me. My hand lies flat on the frame; the committee keeps running. Four minutes since I left, but my gray coat heard it all. You raise another point; I let the carpet hold mine. The glass frames your mouth; cold brass keeps my print by the hinge. No chair moves when a man quits while standing in the door. I nod like your next sentence came stapled to the floor.

Chorus 1

You can have the last word. I already got the door; the room is yours from here.

Verse 2

Yes, take your time; I won't interrupt one inch of it. Say it slow for the three with fountain pens left uncapped. Each word past my nod turns to evidence and walks home alone. I leave no shout here for your side to shove against. Folks lean close till they hear which throat sounds desperate. I hold the frame; you hold court with no judge or clerk. First thing I took was "we" from beneath our little case. That was our chair scraping out, not your voice getting small.

Chorus 2

You can have the last word. I already got the door; the room is yours from here.

Verse 3

I learned it early where the hallway met our kitchen. The loud man filled the minutes; the gone man kept his face. My side had sharp words; I packed each one with my coat. One palm on pine made doubt look like poise from inside. First went "we," then warmth, then weight, then the beat that kept time. I called each loss a victory while the long room grew thin. I never stayed to hear which side the minutes marked right. Never lost on the page; never stayed to watch me win.

Chorus 3

You can have the last word. I already got the door; the room is yours from here.

Verse 4

The smoked glass holds one mouth now; the hall has no reply. My handprint cools on the familiar frame I chose to keep. There is no one left to beat, no side left to call. The room can call it courtesy or file it as a quit. I gave away last words till our first words left me too. I know how to leave; I don't know if I was right. Now the offer walks back in; nobody waits to answer. Four empty intervals wait where your answer should have crossed the carpet.

Chorus 4

You can have the last word. I already got the door; the room is yours from here.

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