Garden of Clockwork Kings

[Intro] Ticking in the rafters Dust on velvet seats Old brass pendulum Counting down the beats Paper masks on coat hooks Feathers Glue And string Backstage in the garden Of the clockwork kings [Verse 1] I found the path behind the chapel Where ivy eats the stone A door disguised as stained glass Said “You are not alone” I stepped into the spiral Of painted gears and wings Hall of mannequins and mirrors And the rusted crowns of kings [Pre-Chorus] They say time is gentle They say time can heal But every second’s sharpened On a secret spinning wheel [Chorus] Welcome to the garden of clockwork kings Where the roses bloom in metal rings Every heartbeat wound on springs Can you feel the turning Welcome to the garden of clockwork kings Hear the hidden choir as it sings You will stay as long as your hourglass clings To the garden of clockwork kings [Verse 2] A jester with a tangled halo Offered me his chair Said “Sit and see your future In the rust-flaked silver air” I watched myself grow older In a breath A blink A sway Trading riddles for a salary Trading colors for the grey [Pre-Chorus] They say choice is open They say paths are free But every door is measured By a lock you never see [Chorus] Welcome to the garden of clockwork kings Where the statues move on hidden strings Every promise polished Then it stings When you feel it turning Welcome to the garden of clockwork kings Where the crown is made of borrowed things You can hear the ticking in your wings In the garden of clockwork kings [Instrumental] [Keys and drums spiral through rapid Shifting patterns; themes from Intro and Chorus weave in and out Building then dissolving into a sparse organ drone] [Verse 3] I met a boy outside the circus Chalking planets on the floor He said “I’ll chart my own sky I won’t march in their war” But years flowed like mercury Through the holes in his plan He woke up by the turnstiles With a number on his hand [Pre-Chorus] They say clocks are honest They say gears don’t lie Yet every hand is guided By a shadow standing by [Chorus] Welcome to the garden of clockwork kings Where the choir forgets the words it sings Every echo circles Then it clings To the walls still burning Welcome to the garden of clockwork kings Where the marionette remembers its strings Tries to fly and feels the anchor rings In the garden of clockwork kings [Bridge] Who winds the winder? Who sets the sun? Who signed the ledger Where my hours run? If every road is numbered Before my feet can move Tell me why my heartbeat Still tries to prove [Breakdown] [Drums tumble through odd-meter patterns; low keyboard ostinato pulses under a spoken vocal] “Step right up Try your luck Trade your seconds for a shining cup Pick a mask Pick a role Pick a cage that you can call a soul” [Verse 4] I tore the painted mask in pieces Let the colors stain my hands Walked against the spiral Through the stitched and shifting lands The mannequins grew restless Cracks across their eyes One by one their fingers Pointed toward the skies [Pre-Chorus] They said “Time is a river” They said “Time’s your jail” But a river overflows When the clocks begin to fail [Chorus] Goodbye to the garden of clockwork kings Let the iron vines release their rings Hear the shattered ticking as it springs From the cage Still burning Goodbye to the garden of clockwork kings I will cut the script from my own strings Walk beyond the circle and it brings Down the garden of clockwork kings [Outro] Ticking in the rafters Fades into the rain Crowns collapse like paper On an empty Quiet stage Somewhere in the ivy A single gear still spins A whisper in the silence “Who will crown the next of kings?”