Aftertones - Janis Ian

Sometimes it’s all too much to say aloud

The sound’s a shroud

The meanings crowd

Sometimes the words are painful to the ear

They disappear and nothing’s clear

‘Til all that’s left to me are aftertones

I take them home

We live alone

But I remember chains of melody

It pleases me — this song’s for free

Within the memories of our life gone by

Afraid to die, we learn to lie

And measure out the time in coffee spoons

In fading suns and dying moons

‘Til all that’s left to see are aftertones

And no one knows

Where meaning goes

But i remember chains of melody

It pleases me — this song’s for free

And ooh, I like the sound

Of harmony from time to time

I really do believe

In some kind of tomorrow

When it speaks to me