[Instrumental Intro: uploaded acoustic melody clearly exposed, bright ringing 1970s folk-rock guitar, band gradually entering] [Spoken Male Voice] Please rise. The crown has found a head. [Verse 1: fully sung mature male vocal, driving melodic 1970s folk-rock, clear steady phrasing] Red velvet hanging from the walls, brass shining underneath the lights. Nobody asked who chose the man. Nobody wanted the first fight. He stepped forward when they called, though no one quite remembered when. Somebody raised the royal flag, so everybody raised theirs then. [Pre-Chorus: rhythmic lift, tension growing beneath the upbeat arrangement] One man coughed. One woman stared. Someone nearly raised a hand. Then the brass came crashing in, and everybody joined the band. [Chorus: huge melodic protest singalong, infectious and defiant, crowd joining the lead] Raise him up and strike up the band, ALL HAIL THE WRONG MAN! (Hail!) Sing it loud so no one asks how power changed its hands. Stand in line and smile for the crown, ALL HAIL THE WRONG MAN! (Hail!) Everybody knows something’s wrong. Everybody sings along. [Instrumental Turnaround: brief return of the uploaded acoustic melody, melodic bass and lively drums underneath] [Verse 2: same melodic and rhythmic shape as Verse 1, bright surface with growing unease] The numbers came back upside down. We changed the scale and praised the view. The warning lights began to burn. We found a softer shade of blue. He pointed west. The compass turned. We moved the arrow on the chart. He called retreat a victory, and everybody played their part. [Pre-Chorus: same structure as first, crowd beginning to answer quietly] The captain knew. The clerk knew too. Someone whispered, “Not so loud.” Then the brass came crashing in, and truth disappeared inside the crowd. [Chorus: fuller crowd harmonies, handclaps and stronger rhythmic drive] Raise him up and strike up the band, ALL HAIL THE WRONG MAN! (Hail!) Sing it loud so no one asks how power changed its hands. Stand in line and smile for the crown, ALL HAIL THE WRONG MAN! (Hail!) Everybody knows something’s wrong. Everybody sings along. [Instrumental Turnaround: uploaded melody returns briefly, now played by acoustic guitar with electric-guitar answers] [Verse 3: same basic shape as previous verses, instrumentation slightly restrained, vocal becoming more personal] I knew the map. I knew the names. I saw the figures on the wall. I watched them dress a losing hand in gold and call it standing tall. I had the breath. I had the words. I had the moment to object. Somebody placed the flag in my hand. I raised it with the rest. [Bridge: stripped-down acoustic guitar, bass and low male vocal, intimate and accusatory] I knew. You knew. We knew. No chains upon our hands. No gun against our backs. We only feared the silence when everybody clapped. [Instrumental Build: uploaded melody returns prominently, first on acoustic guitar, then joined by bass, drums, tambourine, electric guitar and gathering crowd voices] Raise the flag. Raise the glass. Smile for the photograph. [Final Chorus: full-band 1970s protest-song climax, huge communal vocals, energetic rather than theatrical] Raise him up and strike up the band, ALL HAIL THE WRONG MAN! (Hail! Hail!) Sing it loud while everything is slipping through our hands. Stand in line and smile for the crown, ALL HAIL THE WRONG MAN! (Hail!) Everybody knows something’s wrong. Everybody sings along. [Final Chorus Extension: same melody and groove, stronger crowd response] Raise him high while the warning burns, ALL HAIL THE WRONG MAN! (Hail!) Call the fall a victory. Say we meant it all along. We didn’t need the right man. We only needed everyone to hail the wrong man. [Instrumental Outro: uploaded acoustic melody returns one final time, band gradually dropping away] [Quiet Male Voice] Nobody said a word. Everybody sang.
