

I didn’t type it out
But the screen still knew
My face went soft for half a second
In the black glass next to you
Typing dots in my throat
Left on delivered in my chest
I kept my mouth clean
But my eyes failed the test
You stood under store light
I checked my phone for no reason
Like that could hide the weather
Like that could change the season
[Pre-Chorus]
I said nothing
I looked away
But something moved
Before I stayed
[Chorus]
The Signal Leaves First
Before I find the words
Before I make it neat
Before I make it hurt
The Signal Leaves First
My silence hit the wire
I thought I kept it in
But the city caught the fire
I didn’t say your name
I didn’t cross that line
But something in my body
Had already gone online
[Interlude – no vocals]
[Verse 2]
Share location off
Still feeling exposed
You read me in the pause
Like a caption I never posted
Close Friends saw the skyline
Not the part where I broke
I made the night look expensive
And swallowed the real note
Green light on the corner
Red heart under my nail
Every small reflection
Started telling on me well
[Pre-Chorus 2]
I kept it calm
I kept it cute
But the room lit up
With the hidden truth
[Chorus]
The Signal Leaves First
Before I find the words
Before I make it neat
Before I make it hurt
The Signal Leaves First
My silence hit the wire
I thought I kept it in
But the city caught the fire
I didn’t say your name
I didn’t cross that line
But something in my body
Had already gone online
[Bridge]
Maybe want is not private
Maybe cool is just a filter
Maybe every unread feeling
Finds a way to enter
Maybe I was never hiding
Maybe I was only late
Maybe every little flicker
Was my heart giving me away
Your shadow in the window
My hand around my phone
I looked like I was leaving
But I had already shown
Don’t ask me what I meant
Don’t make me make it clean
The message left my body
Before it reached the screen
[Final Chorus]
The Signal Leaves First
Before I find the words
Before I make it neat
Before I make it hurt
The Signal Leaves First
My silence hit the wire
I thought I kept it in
But the city caught the fire
I didn’t say your name
I didn’t cross that line
But something in my body
Had already gone online
The Signal Leaves First
And maybe that is proof
That even when I say nothing
I am still reaching you
- Lyricist
Ketra Sain
- Composer
Ketra Sain, Elian Korst
- Producer
Calen Rusk
- Vocals
Ketra Sain

Listen to The Signal Leaves First by Ketra Sain
Streaming / Download
- 1
Elevator Numbers Blink Twice
Ketra Sain
- 2
Backseat Coordinates
Ketra Sain
- 3
Heart Nails Hit Send
Ketra Sain
- 4
Turnstile Confession
Ketra Sain
- 5
Ghost Roots in the Club Bathroom
Ketra Sain
- 6
Erewhon Parking Lot at Midnight
Ketra Sain
- 7
Laundry Machine Orbit
Ketra Sain
- 8
A Blue Dot Moving Away
Ketra Sain
- 9
The Front Camera Missed You
Ketra Sain
- ⚫︎
The Signal Leaves First
Ketra Sain
- 11
Someone Receives Me
Ketra Sain
Before she can name it, the city has already received her signal
