[Vocal character: intimate androgynous lead, clear yet softly textured, with seamless register transitions. Preserve the same gender-ambiguous timbre in exposed phrases, full-voice peaks and layered harmonies.] [Verse 1] [Quiet, precise storytelling. Harp rocks in 6/8; piano and porcelain leave room for the changing character voices.] Was it last month Or the last month of the year That the old man of the river Told you to follow him here? [Warm the androgynous lead voice slightly for the quoted speech. A small descending harp figure makes the reassurance feel uneasy.] He said "You know It don't rain All that much Just a little" But the look in his eyes Told you he wasn't the middle [Pre-Chorus] [A suspended breath: only one high cello harmonic beneath the brief phrase.] Of a riddle [Chorus] [Bloom into slow distorted guitars and rolling toms. Sing with wonder turning to dread; keep the narrative intelligible.] And the purple leaves were turning In the trees Just a little [Let the bass fall away beneath a sinking cello slide; retain the vocal melody.] As he sank into the ground With a pop like a pimple And he laughed when you cried "Please don't go" [Porcelain droplets multiply, then low tom rolls gather under the last two lines.] And then it started to rain And you knew he wasn't joking [Verse 2] [Return to a darker version of the lullaby. Warm bass enters beneath each warning; the lead stays restrained.] When he said "Don't let me see you again" And you said "I thought we were friends" He said "It's not that [Stop the harp rocking for a beat. Deliver the warning over one sustained low string note.] But this land has a curse If you stay here You will stay here For better or worse" [Pre-Chorus] [Near silence. Deliver the short warning close to the microphone, without theatrical shouting.] "And it's worse" [Final Chorus] [Gradually enlarge the chamber ensemble as waking certainty becomes unease. Highest harmony arrives only near the final image.] Then you woke up in a cold sweat But your bed was warm And the sun was just peeking Through the clouds of a storm And the wind shook the trees With a low howl of pain [Recall the opening harp figure, now darker. Thin the ensemble so the final image is intimate and unmistakable.] And you looked out the window And you saw the purple leaves again [Outro] [Instrumental. Reprise the opening harp figure one note altered; finish on unresolved porcelain resonance.]
