Lyrics

Lyrics
[Intro — spoken, low]
“How are you?”
I’m fine.
See?
That was easy.
[Verse 1]
You asked me once,
I gave the line,
the little answer people like.
Nothing heavy,
nothing strange,
just enough to keep the room unchanged.
You looked relieved.
I let you be.
Funny how quickly
we both agreed.
You didn’t push.
I didn’t fall.
One clean answer.
That was all.
[Pre-Chorus]
I said “I’m fine.”
You heard “I’m fine.”
Maybe that’s the trick.
Maybe I learned
how to sound convincing
before I learned what help was.
[Chorus]
Ask me once,
I’ll tell you what you need.
Ask me once,
I’ll make it easy to believe.
I’ll smile small,
keep it light,
give you something safe tonight.
Ask me once.
And if you leave—
I’ll understand.
I always do.
[Verse 2]
There are questions
with rehearsed replies.
There are wars
behind ordinary eyes.
There are whole nights
buried underneath
“I’m just tired.”
“I’m okay.”
“Don’t worry about me.”
You think I’d say it
if it were bad.
You think silence means
there’s nothing to add.
But some men learn
to lock the door
before they even know
what the door is for.
[Pre-Chorus]
I said “I’m fine.”
You heard “I’m fine.”
We both played our part.
You respected the answer.
I respected the distance.
Nobody touched the dark.
[Chorus]
Ask me once,
I’ll tell you what you need.
Ask me once,
I’ll make it easy to believe.
I’ll smile small,
keep it light,
give you something safe tonight.
Ask me once.
And if you leave—
I’ll understand.
I always do.
[Bridge — stripped down]
The ugly part?
Sometimes I wish
you wouldn’t believe me.
Sometimes I wish
you’d sit there long enough
for the silence to become embarrassing.
Long enough
for the joke to die.
Long enough
for me to run out of exits.
But if you ask again—
I might hate you for it.
That’s the problem.
[Break — spoken]
“Are you sure?”
...
Yes.
...
Don’t ask again.
...
Please ask again.
[Final Chorus]
Ask me once,
I’ll give you something clean.
Ask me once,
I’ll keep the worst of me unseen.
I’ll say “long week,”
“nothing much,”
anything that keeps you out of touch.
Ask me once.
Then walk away.
I’ll watch you go.
I’ll say it’s fine.
[Outro — almost whispered]
“How are you?”
...
Ask me twice.