Written by Evan Neiden

the night i lost january, they were playing pretty music on the radio

[we interrupt this broadcast to bring]

the music told me first, and then the calls came in

[you breaking news tonight a body was]

i turned the music up until i couldn’t hear the ringing

[found washed up, frozen on the edge of lake michigan]

i don’t remember what they were playing on the radio but

[the body was waterlogged past recognition but]

i remember i listened in all night long

[whatever the cause, it happened weeks ago]

even as, hour after hour, my ringing phone went quiet; even

[before the body found its way into the water, it was]

when the sun came up and the frequency went

[dead.]

dead.

[once again,]

the night i lost january was the last night anyone called, it was

[those investigating could not identify the deceased but hey are]

the last night i called myself my name

[still attempting to put a name to the body; the coroner was]

and found something else in the radio silence

[unable to determine an exact time of death, but]

I don’t know whether their name was really

[they’ve surmised that the individual died sometime in]

january

[january]

but it’s my name now

[now back to your regularly scheduled programming]

and tonight, as i listen to the radio

[good night]

my name is pretty music too