I Said It Because the Soup Was Getting Cold (Tough Love)

Lyrics

[Verse 1]
You brought me the story again
same story, different scarf
You sat at my table and unfolded it
like origami you're proud of
but darling — I've seen the crease marks
You fold it the same way every time

I poured the soup while you talked
because the soup was getting cold
and one of us
had to care about temperature

[Pre-Chorus]
I love you the way a tailor loves a seam —
by pulling it apart first

[Chorus]
I said it because the soup was getting cold
I said it because your mother wouldn't
I said it with both hands on your jaw
the way Bà ngoại held mine
when she told me
không được khóc nữa — stop crying now
not because crying is wrong
but because you've cried enough
to fill the pot
and the pot is full

[Verse 2]
You want me to say you're right
I want you to eat the shallots
You want me to hold the wound open
I want you to notice it's Tuesday
and the market has new radishes
and your hands still work
and the garlic needs crushing
and crushing is the first step
in anything worth tasting

[Pre-Chorus]
I love you the way a needle loves a cloth —
by going through it

[Chorus]
I said it because the soup was getting cold
I said it because your mother wouldn't
I said it with both hands on your jaw
the way Bà ngoại held mine
when she told me
không được khóc nữa — stop crying now
not because crying is wrong
but because you've cried enough
to fill the pot
and the pot is full

[Bridge]
Bà ngoại never said I love you
She said ăn đi — eat now
She said you're too thin
She said the rain is coming
bring the laundry in
Every sentence was a hand
on the back of your neck
pressing you gently
toward the living

[Final Chorus]
I said it because the soup was getting cold
I said it because somebody had to
I said it with both hands on your face
the way women in my family
have always held
the people they refuse
to let stay lost