THE LANTERN AND THE CROWN #NECOGUNDAN-1

[cold intro start, immediately enter into lyrics] [Verse 1] When all the clocks struck midnight And the moon unstitched the sea A whale rose through the heavens Wearing whole galaxies With golden streets along his spine And starlight in his veins Two small cats climbed aboard him And sailed beyond the rain [Verse 2] One was dressed in velvet black And held a lantern high The other wore a crimson coat With his crown cocked to one side “Do you know where we are going?” Asked the one who wore the crown “The lantern helps me find the way— But you know why we’re bound” [Pre-Chorus] Wear the crown lightly Hold the lantern high Every road needs somewhere Every heart needs why [Chorus] Raise the lantern, wear the crown Let the whole night tumble down The lantern finds the road to take The crown knows why the journey’s made When every map has lost its scale And every compass starts to fail Hold to wonder, hold on tight Ride the great whale through the night [Verse 3] They passed a town of sleeping kings Who’d never left their chairs A market where they traded dreams For sensible affairs They crossed a sea of vanished names A moon of frozen bells And heard a thousand lonely souls Who’d built themselves small cells [Verse 4] The crown grew heavy listening The lantern flame burned low “Why keep moving toward a place That neither of us knows?” “Because the dark is not a wall— It’s only light unseen And every life must leave the shore To learn what home can mean” [Pre-Chorus] Wear the crown lightly Hold the lantern high Every road needs somewhere Every heart needs why [Chorus] Raise the lantern, wear the crown Let the whole night tumble down The lantern finds the road to take The crown knows why the journey’s made When every map has lost its scale And every compass starts to fail Hold to wonder, hold on tight Ride the great whale through the night [Instrumental Waltz — strings, bells and soaring guitar] [Bridge] No crown commands the heavens No lantern owns the flame No traveler chooses every road Or knows from where it came Some are here to find the way Some give the journey worth And some great grace beneath us Carries everyone from Earth [Build] So wear the crown lightly Hold the lantern high We may never know the ocean But we still can choose our why [Final Chorus] Raise the lantern, lose the crown Let the walls come tumbling down One small light can find a way One true heart can make us stay When every map has turned to dust And all that’s left is love and trust Hold to wonder, hold on tight Ride the great whale through the night [Final Refrain] The lantern finds the way The crown remembers why The whale asks nothing from us As he carries us through the sky [Outro — music falls to piano, distant bells and whale song] “Do you know where we’re going?” “No.” “Do you still remember why?” “Always.” And the whale swam on.