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Spoken version
A recorded reading of “The Long Way Round”. If the player does not load, use the original audio source.
Your message asks a question small enough to answer. I read it at the corner shop, then walk past the direct road. The long way has a broken fence, a field with one plastic chair, a dog behind a gate rehearsing its objection to the world. By the time I reach the bridge, the screen has gone black. Water moves under me without choosing a side. I type three words. Delete two. The remaining word is not enough, but it crosses.
Lyrics
(clap-clap) I walked past your old building. Then one block, then three. The message in my pocket. Kept asking after me. A dog barked from a balcony. A gate swung in the wind. I took the road beside the park. And did not turn back in. Every shortcut has your name. Every corner knows my face. I do not need to win tonight. I only need some space. I took the long way round. To keep your number quiet. I took the long way round. To hear my own voice rise. The takeaway is closing up. Its chairs are on the floor. I delete the words one by one. Not because they were not true. The truth can be a stone. And I am done with carrying you. I do not owe the night a message. (hah) I do not owe the past a door. I took the long way round. To keep your number quiet. I took the long way round. To hear my own voice rise. (clap)
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