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Spoken version
A recorded reading of “Opal Tongue”. If the player does not load, use the original audio source.
My mouth used to be a locked room— keys tucked under my own ribs. I swallowed bright opinions whole till my tongue forgot its grip. Words sat like pills behind my molars, chalky with be good, don’t start. Even my laugh learned to take up less, pressed flat at the back of my throat. Now the book stays open, patient— opal-cool against my skin— teaching me a newer language where breathing counts as in. If truth is a taste I avoided, I’ll learn it slow: sip of water, first syllable, the palate getting used to heat. Let wax unseal my silence. Let one clean word arrive. —hinge-chime. Page-turn ticks— I speak in an opal tongue: soft—still steady. I don’t need to raise my voice to make it hold. I let my voice turn the page. I let my yes be clean. I speak in an opal tongue and leave space for breath between. I said “I’m fine” like a ritual, like it could keep me safe— smile on, shoulders up, a whole weather report in my face. So I name the knot I carried: not dramatic—just true. A tightness. A fear. A no I kept chewing into maybe. Pastel lights in the rafters— not to erase the dark, just to show it moving through, like ink thinning in clean water. On the desk, a phonetic index card— diacritics, small marks like steps. I write my name the way it sounds when I’m not hiding it: mouth open, consonants honest, vowels given room. —page-turn: a micro-stop— I speak in an opal tongue: soft—still steady. I don’t need a crash of words to make them true. I let my voice turn the page. I let my yes be clean. I speak in an opal tongue and leave space for breath between. (near-acapella) Say it quiet: I’m not too much. Say it again: I deserve trust. I open the drawer. There’s the stamp—ink-cool, square as a promise. I press it to the page: HEARD. A small click. A clean mark. Then I underline one sentence, slow— not to argue, not to win— just to keep it from slipping back into the margin. —hinge-chime returns— I speak in an opal tongue: soft—still steady. I let my voice turn the page. I let my yes be clean. Opal light on my fingertips. Page-ticks. Click.
Instructional lyrics
[Intro 4b 4/4 — haze + hinge chime + page-turn ticks] [Verse 1 16b 4/4 intimate] My mouth used to be a locked room Keys under my own ribs I swallowed every bright opinion Till my voice forgot it lived Now the book stays open, patient Opal cool on my skin Like it’s teaching me a new language Where breathing counts as “in” [Pre 8b 4/4 rise] If truth is a taste I avoided I’m ready to learn it slow Let the wax melt off my silence Let the words start to glow [Chorus 8b 4/4 bigger, wide] I speak in an opal tongue Soft but I mean what I mean I don’t need a fight to be heard I don’t need a scene I let my voice turn the page I let my yes be clean I speak in an opal tongue And I finally breathe between [Verse 2 16b 4/4 pocket] I said “I’m fine” like a ritual Like it could keep me safe But the library wrote it different Said, “Say it with your face.” So I name the knot I carried Not dramatic, just true Pastel lights in the rafters Like the dark is passing through [Pre 8b] I’m done paying rent in my throat For a peace I never use If my heart wants room and honesty That’s the vow I choose [Chorus 8b] I speak in an opal tongue Soft but I mean what I mean I don’t need a fight to be heard I don’t need a scene I let my voice turn the page I let my yes be clean I speak in an opal tongue And I finally breathe between [Bridge 8b 4/4 drop — breaths + pad, almost acapella] Say it quiet: I’m not too much Say it again: I deserve trust No more shrinking for comfort No more praying to be small I can be gentle and honest That’s the rarest spell of all [Final Chorus 8b 4/4 biggest] I speak in an opal tongue Soft but I mean what I mean I don’t need a fight to be heard I don’t need a scene I let my voice turn the page I let my yes be clean I speak in an opal tongue And I finally breathe between [Tag 4b fade] Opal light on my fingertips I say my name again [Outro 4b fade]
Song info
Dream-pop / alt-R&B full song with cinematic-electronic undercurrent, ~82 BPM 4/4 (breathy pocket), minor; page-turn foley as groove texture, warm kick + rim, soft hats, elastic sub, Rhodes + glassy pad, whispered doubles, formant-bloom adlibs, hinge-chime motif, wax-drip ticks in the high end; Intro 4b -> Verse 16b -> Pre 8b -> Chorus 8b -> Verse 16b -> Pre 8b -> Chorus 8b -> Bridge 8b (drop to breaths) -> Final Chorus 8b + tag 4b -> Outro 4b.
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