[Intro — Taxi Idling, Floor Tom Like a Slow Heartbeat]

[Verse 1]
Two suitcases beside the chair,
Your winter scarf was hanging there.
The hallway bulb had burnt down low;
My taxi waited in the snow.
You stood behind the bedroom door;
I heard one footstep cross the floor.
I took a page, then crossed out four
Long explanations meant for war.

[Chorus]
One sentence only:
Tell me not to go.
No polished ending,
No last hello.
Black against the snow:
Tell me not to go.

[Verse 2]
I wrote no reasons, drew no lines,
No careful blame, no alibis,
No list of every woond we knew,
No proof that I was right, not you.
The taxi horn broke through the pane;
You turned the bedroom lock again.
I held the letter by the wall;
One step could slide it down the hall.

[Chorus]
One sentence only:
Tell me not to go.
No polished ending,
No last hello.
Black against the snow:
Tell me not to go.

[Instrumental Break — Taxi Engine Under Sustained Guitar]

[Bridge]
Maybe you waited for my hand.
Maybe you thought I'd understand.
I wanted you to cross the hall;
You waited for my voice to call.

[Build-up]
The meter ran. The driver swore.
I placed the letter on the floor,
Then snatched it back, put out the light,
And carried it into the night.

[Final Chorus]
One sentence only:
Tell me not to go.
I held the answer
You couldn't know.
Still black against the snow:
Tell me not to go.

[Outro — Taxi Pulling Away]
The bedroom door stayed shut behind.
The cab crossed out the county line.
Inside my coat, one sentence pressed
Its crooked ink against my chest.