04 - The Market of Skins

[Intro | slinky hand percussion | whispered market voices] Step inside Do not speak Choose the face Choose the weak [Verse 1 | sitar-like plucked accents | winding bass movement] Lamps hang low In the amber heat Soft feet moving Through the narrow street Silver scales On a velvet tray Someone smiles As they slip away [Pre-Chorus | uneasy modal melody | breathy layered vocal] Name for name Mouth for mouth Try one on And walk out [Chorus | hypnotic groove | whispering backing chants] In the market of skins You can be what you buy Wear the truth like a lie Wear the lie like an eye In the market of skins Leave the old one behind But the mirror still knows What the body can hide [Verse 2 | dry percussion pulse | subtle microtonal bends] Red thread tied To a stranger’s wrist Gold dust caught In a serpent’s kiss Hands reach out From a curtain thin “Take your shape Let the night begin” [Pre-Chorus | coiling synth glide | soft chant response] Name for name Mouth for mouth Try one on And walk out [Chorus | fuller slinky rhythm | close breathy lead vocal] In the market of skins You can be what you buy Wear the truth like a lie Wear the lie like an eye In the market of skins Leave the old one behind But the mirror still knows What the body can hide [Bridge | stripped drones | whispered vocal close-up] Do not touch The hanging face Do not ask Who took your place Do not count The teeth you see Every bargain Has a fee [Final Chorus | darker groove | layered whisper accents] In the market of skins You can be what you buy Wear the truth like a lie Wear the lie like an eye In the market of skins Leave the old one behind But the mirror still knows What the body can hide [Outro | fading percussion | distant market whispers] Step outside Do not speak New face smiling Old bones weak