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Restless Lyrics by Li-Young Lee

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I can hear in your voice
you were born in one country
and will die in another,

and where you live is where you'll be buried
and when you dream it's where you were born,

and the moon never hangs in both skies
on the same night,

and that's why you think the moon has a sister,
that's why your day is hostage to your nights,

and that's why you can't sleep except by forgetting,
you can't love except by remembering.

And that's why you're divided: yes and no.
I want to die. I want to live.
Never go away. Leave me alone.

I can hear by what you say
your first words must have been mother and father .

Even before your own name, mother.
Long before amen, father.

and you put one word in your left shoe,
one in your right, and you go walking.

And when you lie down you tuck them
under your pillow, where they give rise
to other words: childhood, fate, and rescue .
Heaven, wine, return.

And even god and death are offspring.
Even world is begotten, even summer
a descendant. And the apple tree. Look and see

the entire lineage alive
in every leaf and branching
decision, snug inside each fast bud,

together in flower, and again
in the pulp, mingling in the fragrance
of the first mouthful and the last.

I can tell by your silence you've seen the petals
immense in their vanishing.

Flying, they build your only dwelling.
Falling, they sow shadows at your feet,

And when you close your eyes
you can hear the ancient fountains
from which they derive,

rock and water ceaselessly declaring
the laws of coming and going.
Credits
Li-Young Lee

Li-Young Lee

About “Restless” by Li-Young Lee

Read the complete lyrics to "Restless" by Li-Young Lee. On Lyrks you can follow along with the full text, explore the artist's discography, and discover related songs. The track is often categorized under Non-Music, Literature.

"Restless" is performed by Li-Young Lee. This page provides the full lyric text for fans who want to sing along, study the songwriting, or compare versions across releases. Lyrks organizes lyrics by artist and song slug so you can bookmark and share a stable URL. Music lyrics help listeners connect with emotion, narrative, and rhythm in a track. Whether you are learning English, researching a favorite chorus, or preparing for karaoke, having accurate line breaks and section labels (verse, chorus, bridge) makes the experience easier. We link to the official artist profile on Lyrks where available, including biography snippets, top songs, and chart placements when we have that data. If you enjoy "Restless", explore more songs by Li-Young Lee using the links below. Chart and trending pages on Lyrks highlight what listeners are searching for this week. For copyright or correction requests, see our DMCA and contact pages.

View all songs and biography for Li-Young Lee · Trending lyrics · Billboard Hot 100

Frequently asked questions

"Restless" is credited to Li-Young Lee. Songwriting credits may include additional writers listed on the release; check the credits section on this page for linked collaborators.

Album information for "Restless" is not available in our database yet. You can still read the full lyrics on this page.

Visit the Li-Young Lee artist page at /artist/li-young-lee for biography, popular tracks, and links to more lyric pages.

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