An Illustration of Loneliness
Courtney Barnett Lyrics

I lay awake at four, staring at the wall
I'm up late in the night, can't sleep, while my eyes are fixed on the wall.

Counting all the cracks backwards in my best French
I'm counting cracks on the wall, but doing it backwards in French to distract myself.

Reminds me of a book I skim-read in a surgery
This reminds me of a book I read while waiting in a doctor's office, where I just skimmed through it quickly.

All about palmistry, I wonder what's in store for me
The book was about palmistry, which makes me ponder about what the future holds for me.

I pretend the plaster is the skin on my palms
I imagine the wall plaster as my palm skin, maybe because I was thinking about palmistry.

And the cracks are representative of what is going on
I think the cracks symbolize something, which might connect to my current state of mind.

I lose a breath, my love-line seems intertwined with death
I feel a bit breathless and uneasy, like my love-life might be doomed or connected to death in some way.

I'm thinking of you too
Throughout all of this, I'm thinking about you, my significant other, and wondering what you're doing.

I lay awake at three, staring at the ceiling
Another night, and again, I can't sleep, so I'm staring at the ceiling this time.

It's a kind of off-white, maybe it's a cream
The ceiling has an off-white shade, but it seems like it may be more towards a cream color.

There's oily residue zipping from the kitchen
I notice some kind of residue, possibly grease, emanating from the kitchen.

It's art-deco necromantic chic, all the dinner plates are kitsch with
The kitchen has a stylish, macabre vibe in an art-deco flavor, with kitschy dinner plates that match the theme.

Irish Wolfhounds, French baguettes wrapped loose around their necks
The plates have illustrations of Irish Wolfhounds with French baguettes draped around their necks, continuing the kitschy trend.

I think I'm hungry, I'm thinking of you too
All this talk of dinner plates and food makes me realize I'm actually hungry, but still, I continue to think about you.

Wondering what you're doing, what you're listening to
I'm wondering about your current state and what you might be doing at this moment, maybe even what music you're listening to.

Which quarter of the moon you're viewing from your bedroom
I wonder if you're looking at the moon from your bedroom window or balcony, and which phase of it you might be observing.

Watching all the movies, drinking all the smoothies
I imagine you relaxing at home, watching movies and sipping on some smoothies, while I'm lying awake restless.

Swimming at the pool, I'm thinking of you too
Maybe you're out swimming at the pool or indulging in some other activity, but still, I'm thinking about you.