Slow Down, But We Can’t.

[Intro] [Ticking clock sound (8 ticks). Soft synth pad swell. Heartbeat kick drum enters.]] [Verse 1] [Breathy male vocal, no reverb yet. Soft electronic drums.] I wanted to call my mother last week But the days just leaked through my fingers I wanted to watch the sunset from the hill But the meeting overran for hours Every morning I wake up with a list By the evening, half is missing Not because I'm lazy — no Because the clock has double speed [Pre-chorus] [Synth stabs, handclaps. Tension riser. Vocal more urgent.] We're not racing against machines We're racing against our own heartbeats [Chorus] [Full beat, layered synths, melodic bass, reverb on voice.] There's no time to waste, but we're wasting it anyway Running after pennies, losing golden days I need a pause, a breath, a moment to just be But life's a train that never waits for me No time to hold the ones I love No time to watch the stars above We're given years, but spend them on the phone And then one day discover we're alone [Verse 2] [Beat drops to kick and hi-hat only. Clean guitar arpeggio left. Vocal slightly filtered.] I promised myself to read that book It's been three winters on the shelf I promised to learn how to dance Instead I learned to refresh my mail My friend said: "Let's go for a walk" I answered: "Maybe next October" And then I saw his wife's post He's gone. It's over [Pre-chorus] [Synth stabs, handclaps. Tension riser.] We're not racing against machines We're racing against our own heartbeats [Chorus] [Full beat again. Same arrangement.] There's no time to waste, but we're wasting it anyway Running after pennies, losing golden days I need a pause, a breath, a moment to just be But life's a train that never waits for me No time to hold the ones I love No time to watch the stars above We're given years, but spend them on the phone And then one day discover we're alone [Bridge] [Breakdown: only piano and voice. No drums. Strings enter softly.] What if today is all I've got? What if tomorrow never knocks? I want to feel the rain, the grass, the skin Before the final second spins [Synth Solo] [8 bars. Bright lead. Drums rebuild with crescendo.] [Chorus] [Final, full energy. Vocal double-tracked, cathedral reverb.] There's no time to waste, but we're wasting it anyway Running after pennies, losing golden days I need a pause, a breath, a moment to just be But life's a train that never waits for me No time to hold the ones I love No time to watch the stars above We're given years, but spend them on the phone And then one day discover we're alone [Outro] [Ticking clock returns. Beat slows to stop. Drums cut.] Tick... tick... tick... [Abrupt cut. Silence.]