[Prelude] [Aching, jangly guitar intro]
Morning rain on misted glass, footsteps shuffle slow
An umbrella drips beside me, old shoes lined in a row
The automated message tolls, ushering each by name
I count heartbeats in muffled coats, waiting just the same

[Intro]
Plastic chairs creak beneath me, Sunday’s paper in my hand
A boy with headphones, fidgeting, pretends not to understand
I watch the seconds flicker by, fluorescent digits burned
Absently counting packets, receipts and faces turned

[Verse 1]
Older magazines curl tired, ink-smudged and folded thin
My name still feels like fiction, not a line where I begin
They scan the coughs and slippers, the tired legs that wait
I remember laughter ‘round the bend, now routine marks my fate

[Chorus] [Soaring melody]
The pharmacist’s pity is a pill I simply cannot swallow
They call my name like I’m on display, a relic here to follow
Someone coughs behind me and smiles with gentle sorrow
I nod along, resign to the medical gaze I borrow

[Post-Chorus] [Dramatic falsetto leap]
Oh oh, medication queue
[Lower register]
Oh oh, waiting too

[Verse 2]
I once joked about these afternoons spent in fluorescent light
Counting the sandwiches, glazed looks, counting the minutes right
But now I sense new silence, as they check if I am frail
The mirror of suspicion, that tells me I am pale

[Pre-Chorus]
They scan my birth date, ask if I’ll need help home
Every step echoes louder when you walk it alone

[Chorus]
The pharmacist’s pity is a pill I simply cannot swallow
They call my name like I’m on display, a relic here to follow
Someone coughs behind me and smiles with gentle sorrow
I nod along, resign to the medical gaze I borrow

[Post-Chorus]
Oh oh, medication queue
Oh oh, waiting too

[Bridge] [Music thins to just jangling guitar and synth pads]
A young clerk fumbles with my surname, like it's ancient or sharp
I study his worried eyes, memorising every part
Reading leaflets I once binned, tracing veins through my hand
Collating quiet aches in corners only I understand

[Verse 3]
Somewhere outside, taxis idle, doors slam in the street
A prescription bag crinkles—a brief handshake, short and discreet
Old jokes flutter silent, replaced by knowing stares
I watch my own reflection in the glass and meet his cares

[Chorus]
The pharmacist’s pity is a pill I simply cannot swallow
They call my name like I’m on display, a relic here to follow
Someone coughs behind me and smiles with gentle sorrow
I nod along, resign to the medical gaze I borrow

[Post-Chorus]
Oh oh, medication queue
Oh oh, waiting too
Oh oh, waiting, too

[Outro] [Fading, jangly outro]
So I shuffle past sliding doors, slow as the afternoon sun
Prescription cradled gently—another transaction done
Kinder nods from strangers linger long after I go
I step into my shadow, heavier and slow

Oh oh, medication queue
Oh oh, fading through
Oh oh, medication queue
Oh oh, fading through

[Tag] [Spoken/Whispered]
Frosted glass reveals my silhouette, crossing into dusk
Steps on linoleum echo memories I no longer trust
The doorbell rings for someone newer as I fade from view
I catch my breath, pocket my change, become someone you once knew

[Outro Reprise]
Fewer faces remember, but the chemist knows my name
I trade pleasantries for solace, but somehow it’s not the same
Beneath fluorescent halos, every stranger seems to know my cue
I fold the paper in my pocket, and slowly fade from view

Oh oh, medication queue
Oh oh, fading through
