Liberté in the Machine

[Intro – vinyl crackle, harpsichord, ticking clock] Tick... Tick... Tick... Paris. Seventeen eighty-nine. I know how this story ends. But they're living it for the first time. [Verse 1 – harpsichord, violin, swing beat] Stepped from the portal into the rain Cobblestone streets and a kingdom in pain Bread grows scarce while the palaces shine The clock says revolution's right on time Powdered wigs and expensive wine Nobles dancing while the poor stand in line Every whisper in the cafés grows loud Something electric is moving through the crowd [Pre-Chorus – strings rising, snare drums] I hear the thunder before the storm History stretching, changing form [Chorus – electro swing brass, glitch-hop bass] LIBERTÉ! The city sings tonight LIBERTÉ! Torches burning bright I came from tomorrow But tonight I stay Watching history rewrite itself On the streets of Paris [Verse 2 – accordion, brass stabs, glitch rhythm] Bastille standing against the sky Stone and iron where old secrets lie The people gather, anger in their eyes And suddenly the future arrives The gates come down The crowd roars loud No king can stop this now No chain can hold this crowd I'm standing where the textbooks start Watching the birth of a brand new heart [Pre-Chorus – military drums, choir] The old world shakes The old world cracks And there's no turning back [Chorus – bigger brass section, heavy bass] LIBERTÉ! The city sings tonight LIBERTÉ! Torches burning bright I came from tomorrow But tonight I stay Watching history rewrite itself On the streets of Paris [Bridge – violin, ticking clock, spoken vocals] I've seen empires rise I've seen empires fall The strange thing is Nobody ever sees it coming Even when it's standing right in front of them [Glitch-Hop Breakdown – distorted harpsichord, bass wobble] Liberté... Égalité... Fraternité... The words echo through centuries Still traveling with me [Verse 3 – full orchestral swing] The years will pass The world will change Names become legends Truth becomes strange But every age believes it's new While history quietly leaves its clues I close the portal The night grows dim Another journey waits again One last look before I disappear At the revolution changing the year [Final Chorus – massive electro swing climax] LIBERTÉ! The city sings tonight LIBERTÉ! Torches burning bright I came from tomorrow But tonight I stay Watching history rewrite itself On the streets of Paris LIBERTÉ! Hear the future call LIBERTÉ! History belongs to all The clock keeps turning The centuries sway And the Traveler rides onward To another day [Outro – ticking clock, violin, vinyl crackle] Tick... Tick... Tick... Paris fades away... Next stop... history.