Shab-e Yalda (The Longest Night)

Intro

Yalda, Yalda

(longest night)

Verse 1

Longest night of winter and the cousins fill the hall,

Watermelon in December, sliced and handed round to all.

Khaleh brings the Hafez down, the copy worn and black,

Tells me close my eyes and ask, no taking questions back.

Pre-Chorus

I ask about the one who flew away in early spring,

Seven months of voice notes and he hasn't said a thing.

Chorus

Khaleh opens up the page and reads it, steady, low,

Joseph will come home again, don't grieve, it's written so.

(don't grieve)

The little cousins fight about who gets the biggest slice,

Khaleh swears that Hafez knows, and Khaleh's never wrong twice.

Verse 2

Uncle tells the same old joke he told the year before,

The little ones are sleeping in a pile beside the door.

I check my phone at two, his last text still says hold on,

Khaleh says the longest night still loses to the dawn.

Pre-Chorus

So we stay up like the old ones did, the windows turning blue,

Waiting for the sun to win, the way it always used to.

Chorus

Khaleh opens up the page and reads it, steady, low,

Joseph will come home again, don't grieve, it's written so.

(don't grieve)

The little cousins fight about who gets the biggest slice,

Khaleh swears that Hafez knows, and Khaleh's never wrong twice.

Kanun Solo

Bridge

I don't believe in fortunes, I'm not sure that Khaleh does,

But I folded down the corner, and I'm keeping it because.

Final Chorus

Sun comes over Tehran's roofs, the cousins head for bed,

I read the page a hundred times until it's in my head.

(in my head)

He hasn't called, he hasn't come, the snow's still on the street,

But I left a slice of watermelon on his empty seat.

Outro

Yalda, Yalda

(longest night)

[Spoken] "Created by DarkPrincess -- Royalty of the night"