(Intro)
(Heavy 808 kick drops. A shimmering, filtered synth pad washes over the track. You hear that signature distant "Ay... Ay... Dream...")
(Whispered: "Unless... unless...")
(Verse 1)
Girl, you’re the one who holds the umbrella (Ay)
'Til your own shoulder’s soaked to the bone (Soaked to the bone)
Building bridges out of your own ribcage (Yeah)
Just so they don't have to walk alone...
You swallowed the lightning just to keep 'em all warm
But you’re the only one standing inside of the storm (Inside of the storm)
The warmth you give is a fire you’re lit in
And no one noticed you’re no longer within.
(Pre-Chorus)
(The beat gets more intricate; hi-hats start rolling)
Update the software, ignore the defect
Auto-incorporate the need to collect
Trade in the heartbeat for a digital hum
Love what you own until you are numb. (Yeah)
(Chorus)
(Big, melodic, and layered—total radio anthem)
Oh, the world has a way of taking the best
Putting the weight of the sun on your chest (On your chest, baby)
They’ll drink from your spirit and leave you the glass
Watching your colors turn grey in the grass
It’s a beautiful tragedy, a holy design
To lose who you are to the debt of being kind.
(Verse 2)
(Bass drops out for the first half; just a snapping snare)
They chopped down the forest to build up the mall (The mall)
And wondered why nobody’s standing tall (Nobody, nobody)
Counting the rings but they’re burning the wood
Defining the "better" by killing the "good"
You’re the last truffula in a city of stone
A million people, but you’re still alone...
They only see beauty in what they can sell
Building a heaven by making yours hell.
(Chorus)
(Full energy; heavy bass and vocal harmonies)
Oh, the world has a way of taking the best
Putting the weight of the sun on your chest
They’ll drink from your spirit and leave you the glass
Watching your colors turn grey in the grass
It’s a beautiful tragedy, a holy design
To lose who you are to the debt of being kind.
(Bridge)
(The music gets cinematic; epic synth swells)
There’s a word on a stone that the world tried to hide...
(Unless!)
A ghost of a feeling that’s dying inside...
(Unless!)
They love the watch on your wrist, not the pulse underneath
They love the smile on your face, unless you show them your teeth! (No, no)
They love the "good" in the person...
Unless it’s not sitting on a shelf!
(Outro)
(Slow, fading 808s; very atmospheric)
The Lorax is gone, he flew through the smog
Leaving you here as a gear in the clog
The price of the world is a heavy cost
In the Auto-Incorporate, the person is lost...
I’d tell you I love you... (I love you)
Unless you’re just a thing now, too.
Unless...
(Fade out with a final "Dream..." whisper)
Ad-libs: Throughout the song, add those soft "Ay," "Yeah," and "Right" ad-libs in the background.
The Vocal: Use a lot of falsetto in the Chorus to give it that "Walking on the Moon" airy feel.
The Message: By using this high-end R&B sound, the lyrics about "loving things, not people" feel sow
