(Intro — instrumental motif)
[Short piano/organ riff mirrors vocal hook; sparse sub-bass, light snap on 2 & 4]
(Verse 1)
Cracked sidewalk, shoelace frayed, neon buzzes at midnight,
Cold steam from a grate, breath hangs like a small white light.
Clinic window glowing — midnight faces on the couch,
A mother folds her hands, counts prayers, keeps her vows.
[Production: sparse keys, sub-bass, soft finger-snap groove]
(Pre-Chorus)
Lift me up, like dawn, like the city climbing out of sleep,
Every rung we scale, the skyline takes what we keep.
Hear it rise — heartbeat climbing, steady then complete,
(Voicing rises) take me there, take me there — lead into the heat.
[Build: add warm pad, low-string swell]
(Chorus — Hook)
Keep the beat — (keep the beat)
Hold it close, don’t let it leave. (ad-lib: keep it, keep it)
Keep the beat — (keep the beat)
This pulse is ours, we breathe, we believe. (call/response)
[Full band, gospel pads, trombone/organ motif echoes hook]
(Verse 2)
Midnight subway, graffiti lines, my reflection in the glass,
Taxi light, a radio song, ghosts of parties in the past.
Cracked photograph on kitchen tile, coffee ring and a note,
You stitched a name into my jacket, taught my heart to stay afloat.
[Production: add warm Rhodes, brushed snare, low electric guitar fills]
(Pre-Chorus)
We climb like trains; the tunnels open to a sun we never planned,
Rising up, the chorus ready — life slips gold through open hands.
Feel the cadence lift, breath tightens, then release,
(Voicing climbs) higher, higher — lead the groove into the peace.
[Add 3-part soft backing vocals building tension]
(Chorus — Hook)
Keep the beat — (keep the beat)
Hold it close, don’t let it leave. (ad-lib: ooh, don’t let it)
Keep the beat — (keep the beat)
This pulse is ours, we breathe, we believe. (response: we believe)
[Full band, layered harmonies, gospel-style backing pads]
(Bridge — spoken/sung)
[Spoken over sparse piano, then fold into melody]
Listen — I’ve walked these alleys with my hands in my pockets,
Counted every step, traded fears for small pockets of light.
(Spoken to sung) So when the sirens fade and the night feels long,
Whisper to me: you’re not alone — keep on, keep strong.
[Sung lift] Oh — keep the beat of your heart, keep the beat of this song.
[Production: stop, then soft snap back; alto call-and-response ad-libs]
(Chorus — Hook — Extended)
Keep the beat — (keep the beat)
Hold it close, don’t let it leave. (ad-lib: keep it now)
Keep the beat — (keep the beat)
This pulse is ours, we breathe, we believe. (call/response: we believe)
Keep the beat — (lead: keep it) (backs: keep it)
Keep the beat — (lead: keep it) (backs: keep it)
[Full band; trombone/organ/piano riff answers each line; backing choir swells]
(Outro — Final Lift)
(Short modulation up a step for final phrase)
Keep the beat — (echo: keep the beat)
Streetlights, hospital halls, corner cafés — we repeat.
Keep the beat — (echo)
From cracked sidewalks to stg