Aftertones 
Composer(s): Janis Ian
Performer(s): 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
And all that's left of 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 mem'ries 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
Till 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, ooo, I like the sound
Of harmony from time to time
I really do believe
In some kind of tomorrow
When it speaks to me