The Haussmann Key

[Verse 1]
On Rue de l'Hôtel des Monnaies, a Tuesday in February.
He watches the damp wool of her coat through the glass.
The brass in the lock feels colder than the rain.
A six-year hairline crack begins to show its strain.

[Chorus]
The turn, the catch, the click, the fall.
The turn, the catch, the click, the fall.
A load-bearing wall gives way to it all.

[Verse 2]
"I'll post mine back," she said, her voice a quiet hum.
Just a ghost of breath against the window, going numb.
He traces the rust stain weeping from the frame,
Forgetting for a second how to say his own name.

[Bridge]
Palais de Justice bell... Place du Jeu de Balle noise...
That chipped coffee mug... your side of the bed...

[Chorus]
The turn, the catch, the click, the fall.
The turn, the catch, the click, the fall.
A load-bearing wall gives way to it all.

[Outro]
The turn. The catch. The click.
The silence after it.