[Intro – spoken, formal tone] This committee has been assembled to establish the facts. We ask for honesty… and brief answers. [Verse 1] Oak wood table, polished bright Nameplates lined in careful light Serious faces, practiced sighs Truth adjusting its disguise Stacks of paper, numbered neat Whispers drifting down the seat Every question framed with care Every answer going nowhere [Pre-Chorus] Raise your hand Take the oath Speak the words Everyone wrote [Chorus] Welcome to the inquiry Where the truth arrives in chains Welcome to the inquiry Nothing lost and nothing gained Pages turn in slow decree Echoes dressed as honesty Welcome to the inquiry [Verse 2] Memory fades on cue tonight Strange how details lose their light Dates dissolve and names grow thin Nobody recalls where to begin Voices calm and slightly vague History softened, carefully phrased Every silence heavy-set Every answer “not just yet” [Pre-Chorus] Microphones Silver and cold Every story Halfway told [Chorus] Welcome to the inquiry Where the truth arrives in chains Welcome to the inquiry Circling the same remains Every witness guarantees Perfect gaps in memory Welcome to the inquiry [Bridge – heavier section] Question asked Answer bends Round and round The circle ends Files appear Files withdraw Every loophole Becomes the law [Break – spoken, calm bureaucratic tone] For the record… I do not recall. [Final Chorus – big arena chant] Welcome to the inquiry Where the truth arrives in chains Welcome to the inquiry Nothing broken, nothing changed Pages falling endlessly Buried under policy Welcome to the inquiry [Outro – spoken] The committee will now… take a recess.
