[start] [Intro: C# minor trio, brushes 7/8] [Verse] Museum silence—then alarms; my mother is gone. In my pocket: a famous, tiny painting. I grow up in polished halls, still shaking, holding color like a heartbeat. [Instrumental break: bass lead] [Chorus] I keep the little bird of gold, comfort and a dangerous secret. (It steadies me.) Love blooms around a shadow. [Verse] New York teaches masks and money. The canvas sleeps under my bed. Amsterdam alleys trade names and fate— each step asks a price. [Instrumental break: bass harmonics] [Chorus] I keep the little bird of gold, comfort and a dangerous secret. (It steadies me.) Love blooms around a shadow. [Bridge] If art is mercy, let it free me— or open back her voice in the varnish. [Instrumental buildup: swelling trio] [Chorus] I keep the little bird of gold till I can set it down, and carry her—at last. [Outro: Return to sparse trio; bass harmonics, soft room reverb, fading 7/8 pulse] [end]
