[Intro]
Snap-clap, heel-click, brass on cue,
Lights up, velvet, the night says, "View."
Snap your fingers, take your bow,
The show begins — but watch the now.
[Verse 1]
Strut the boards, high hat, tight grin,
Glossy grin hides a seam about to fold in.
Sequin shoulders, tux-tail sway,
Rouge on cheek like dawn's first play.
Mirror fog, breath on glass,
Makeup cracks — the cracks amass.
Feather boa flutters, rhinestones roll,
A papier-mâché throne with a paper soul.
[Pre-Chorus]
Short breath, quick step, jazz-snap snap,
Confidence a brass riff, tight on the map.
Crowd leans forward, eyes like a feast,
But every feast has a moment it ceases.
[Chorus]
Arrogance in every step — a glittered masquerade;
Sequins scatter, starlight shatters, empires made of stage.
Diamonds slip through gloved hands, confetti down the aisle,
Watch the king of the night — the smile meets the trial.
(Shoop-shoop! Doo-wah! — vocal fill)
[Verse 2]
Spotlight sizzles, center ring,
Satin seam splits with a soft-winged sting.
Costume tear — white shirt flares,
A fallen bead, a rusted pair of stairs.
Mirror on the dressing-room wall,
Gives one last echo of the rising fall.
Greasepaint prints on a trembling hand,
The king's reflection starts to disband.
[Pre-Chorus]
Snap the snare, rim-shot bite,
Swagger stumbles in the half-light.
Band holds breath, then hits a low rest,
A single beat — the cue, the test.
[Chorus]
Arrogance in every step — a glittered masquerade;
Sequins scatter, starlight shatters, empires made of stage.
Gloves slip, crowns tilt, the orchestra's paused line,
Watch the king of the night — the spotlight starts to decline.
(Scat: ba-da-bap, doo-bah-doo)
[Bridge — Build]
Hold one clang, count small, then let it grow,
Tighten the brass, let the low notes blow.
Hands to the sky, the band climbs the stair,
Half-step lift — tension hangs in the air.
(Modulate up a half-step here — instruments lift; piano climbs)
[Key-Changed Sax Solo]
[Sax enters, wailing — modal climb into chaos]
[Sax Solo over rising brass; band pushes forward, then stops — a single cymbal choke]
[Destruction Interlude]
Spotlight drops — a short, sharp thud,
Mirror shatters — glass skitters like blood.
Rhinestone rain on polished wood,
A crown gone blank where the monarch stood.
Tassel snags, the cape unglues,
A seam gives out — applause turns to bruise.
Band freezes — hold the chord, let silence say,
The costume's frayed where pride walked away.
[Key-Changed Chorus — Higher, cinematic]
Arrogance in every step — a glittered masquerade;
Sequins scatter, diamonds scatter — kingdoms of display.
Spotlight slips, the footlights crack, the rafters catch a groan,
Watch the king of the night — crown cracked, the lights are gone.
(Scat reply: doo-wop, ba-doo, ba-doo-wah)
[Final Chorus — Stripped, darker, call-and-response]
Lead: Arrogance — it walked the plank.
Response (scat): Shoo-bop! Shoo-bop! Doo-wah!
Lead: A throne of paper, a whole town sank.
Response (scat): Ba-da-bap! Ba-da-bap!
Lead: Sequins gone, gloves stained w
