About the song
A clasp the size of a grain of rice, a pair of hands that still work, and a man asking to be needed for something he can actually do.
"Ask me for something small.
Anything. Ask me for something small."
About these notes
AI-assisted song notes, based on the sources shown here. Not yet human-reviewed.
Words from the artist’s archive
SOMETHING SMALL lyrics
Artist-supplied lyric sheet, matched by title. The sheet may differ from this released performance. Production notes and alternate promotional cuts are omitted.
Read the lyric sheet
Intro
Ask me for something small. Go on. Ask me for something small.
Verse 1
My coffee is warm when I get home. That is how early it is. The keys go in the bowl. The boots stay on. I miss the mat. I always miss the mat. Twelve years it took to get good at it. They bought a cheaper pair of hands in March. The letter is folded in the glovebox. I shut the car door on it and come in.
Verse 2
You ask me how it went. I say it went fine. I have a voice for fine. You have heard it. The kids talk over dinner like it's nothing. It is nothing. I want them quieter anyway. My girl is doing sums in pencil at the table. I know the answer. I watch her get it wrong. It takes her longer that way. She needs me the whole time it takes.
Chorus
Ask me for something small. Ask me for something small.
Verse 3
The house is a different house at eleven in the morning. The fridge does all the talking. I let it. My name is on a certificate above the stairs for a line that doesn't run that way anymore. I open the pension page. I close the pension page. I open it again. The number doesn't move. I put a wash on so the day has a sound in it. I take it out before it needs to come out.
Chorus
Ask me for something small. Anything. Ask me for something small.
Verse 4
She comes in with a chain across her palm. The clasp is about the size of a grain of rice. My thumbs are the wrong size for everything now except this. One hook. One ring. One try. I hold my breath. I get it on the first go. She turns her wrist to catch it in the light and says thanks the way you thank a light switch, and she is gone back down the hall.
Bridge
After she was asleep I went and got the chain. I worked the little hook until it gave. Not broken. Loose. Loose enough to come apart somewhere between the school gate and the bus. I set it back down on her dresser, in the dish. I washed my hands. I couldn't look at them. Tomorrow she will hold her wrist out to me and I will fix it, and I will be glad.
Chorus
Ask me for something small. Ask me for something small. Anything. Anything small. Ask me. Ask me for something small.
Inside the recording
Ask me for something small. Go on. Ask me for something small.
Ask me for something small. Ask me for something small.
Ask me for something small. Ask me for something small.
Excerpts from artist-supplied lyric files matched by title. Lyric sheets may differ from the released performance.