Not Yet (Live)

I found the jacket on the chair The one I never wear I brushed the dust from both the sleeves And took the old pin from the drawer I checked the window, checked the street Checked the time and checked again The house was small around me Like it knew I’d soon be gone And all the little things lined up The key, the coin, the folded note I pulled the door until it clicked And felt the morning take my coat One more corner One more light One more pavement shining white One more breath One more step Not yet The town was already waking With its shutters halfway raised The woman in the paper shop Had put the headlines on display A bell rang over Market Street A bus sighed open at the kerb And every face I passed along Looked almost ready for the word I kept my hands inside my pockets Kept the paper folded tight The road rose up beneath me Like it meant to get me there One more turning One more sign One more minute falling into line One more breath One more step Not yet The station clock was shining The platform boards were clean The black glass flickered once or twice Then settled into green People gathered closer Someone laughed and then went still A child climbed on a suitcase To see above the windowsill And then the speaker woke above us And the whole place held its air I heard the crackle before the voice I heard the voice begin to care One more number One more name One more spark before the flame One more breath One more step Not yet You know the moment just before it When the room has found its shape When the glass is full of weather And the wire begins to shake When the choir has drawn its first breath When the curtain starts to climb When the hand above the orchestra Is holding back the time When every year you carried Every almost, every no Comes leaning toward the doorway With its face turned to the glow The doors unlocked together The guards stepped to the side The crowd moved like a river And I moved with the tide There were flowers by the railing There were cameras in the rain There was someone up ahead of me Calling out a name I pushed through coats and elbows With my heart against my ribs And there it was before me Almost close enough to live One more opening One more cry One more hand against the sky One more breath One more step Not yet One more second One more sound One more world about to turn around One more breath One more step Not yet I stood there in the brightness With the paper in my hand And everything was ready Everything was ready Everything was ready Not yet