[Title: BEFORE THE MORNING] [Intro] [soft piano, distant city noise, low tape hiss] The city sleeps… But I don’t. [Verse 1] I watched the headlights cross the wall, Three in the morning, none to call. The ceiling turned from black to grey, Another night I gave away. I poured the coffee, watched it cool, Like every promise we once knew. Your photograph was face down near the bed, But I could still remember what you said. I thought that time would make it clear, Would wash away the taste of fear. But every year that passes by Just teaches old regrets to hide. [Pre-Chorus] And maybe I was chasing Something I could never hold, Maybe every road I followed Was a road I knew too old. [Chorus] Before the morning comes, Before the darkness runs, I’ll leave these memories Where they can’t follow me. Before the morning light, Before I lose the fight, I’ll turn the key, I’ll let the silence set me free. I don’t need another sign, I don’t need another lie, If tomorrow finds me here, I’ll leave it all behind. Before the morning… Before the morning comes. [Verse 2] I took the stairs instead of the lift, Walked through the streets like something had shifted. The bars were closing, the taxis were gone, The sky was waiting somewhere beyond. A stranger smiled from across the road, For half a second, I felt less alone. She disappeared when the traffic changed, And somehow nothing felt quite the same. I passed the place where we used to meet, Rain on the pavement, smoke in the street. I heard your voice inside my head, Then realized it was a song instead. [Pre-Chorus] Maybe we were only Two reflections in the glass, Trying to make forever From a moment that had passed. [Chorus] Before the morning comes, Before the darkness runs, I’ll leave these memories Where they can’t follow me. Before the morning light, Before I lose the fight, I’ll turn the key, I’ll let the silence set me free. I don’t need another sign, I don’t need another lie, If tomorrow finds me here, I’ll leave it all behind. Before the morning… Before the morning comes. [Post-Chorus] [falsetto, wide delay] Let it fade… Let it fade… What is gone Was never mine to save. [Verse 3 - RAP] [broken beat, muted bass, dry vocal] I kept a list of every place Where I could disappear without a trace. Different hotels, different towns, Different faces in different crowds. I changed the number, Changed the route, Changed every reason To figure me out. But you can’t outrun What you carry inside, Can’t cross an ocean To leave it behind. So I stopped running, Stopped counting the miles, Stopped pretending That I needed your smile. Maybe growing up Is losing the war Against the person You were before. [Bridge] [no drums, piano only] If you could see me now, Would you recognize The boy who promised He would never say goodbye? If you could hear me now, Would you understand I wasn’t leaving you… I was trying to find myself again. [Silence] [Final Chorus] [full drums, guitars, huge vocal layers] Before the morning comes, Before the darkness runs, I’ll leave these memories Where they can’t follow me. Before the morning light, I finally see the signs, The road is mine, And for the first time I don’t mind. I don’t need another sign, I don’t need another lie, If tomorrow finds me here, I’ll finally leave it all behind. Before the morning… Before the morning comes. [Final Hook] [everything drops except piano] And when the morning comes… I won’t be waiting For yesterday. [Outro] [distant birds, tape hiss, soft piano] The city wakes. I walk away.
