THE FINAL LEDGER [Intro] (radio static, distant laughter) Foghorn cried where the black tide spread A page turned over though the book looked dead (high-pitched whisper) The Final Ledger… ⸻ [Verse 1] Dice hit the table and landed on names Nobody touched them, nobody claimed Fog rolled in carrying carnival cheers Laughter kept ringing with nobody near A compass spun wild then pointed below Straight at a wreck from a century ago Wet footprints crossed where the deck stayed dry Nobody boarded, nobody arrived (high-pitched laugh) The Final Ledger… ⸻ [Chorus] Throw it overboard, watch it sink below Everybody laughs till the debt comes home Storms keep dancing, bells keep ringing Crowds keep shouting, shadows keep singing No badge, no judge, no witness, no plea The tide keeps score for free Every wager, every measure Ends up in The Final Ledger ⸻ [Verse 2] Lanterns swung hard against the breeze Bells started ringing beneath the sea Cards hit the table, the dealer froze Every hand matched what the ledger showed Coins hit the water then landed back Cold in the palm of the man who laughed Cheers from the fog rolled over the weather (radio whisper) The Final Ledger… ⸻ [Chorus] Throw it overboard, watch it sink below Everybody laughs till the debt comes home Storms keep dancing, bells keep ringing Crowds keep shouting, shadows keep singing No badge, no judge, no witness, no plea The tide keeps score for free Every wager, every measure Ends up in The Final Ledger ⸻ [Bridge] A shadow climbed aboard before its owner A voice yelled “winner” though the game was over Empty hammocks rocked in perfect time A clock struck thirteen from beneath the brine The fog yelled back when nobody spoke A chain came up with another chain hooked Pages turning through every weather (deep gravel voice) Nothing disappears… (high-pitched whisper) The Final Ledger… ⸻ [Final Chorus] Throw it overboard, watch it sink below Everybody laughs till the debt comes home Storms keep dancing, bells keep ringing Crowds keep shouting, shadows keep singing No badge, no judge, no witness, no plea The tide keeps score for free Every wager, every measure Ends up in The Final Ledger Every secret, every pressure Every promise, every treasure Every shortcut taken clever Gets remembered by The Final Ledger ⸻ [Outro] The carnival faded, the drums got slower The harbor lights burned a little lower (distant laughter) The Final Ledger… (farther away) The Final Ledger… (final radio crackle) The Final Ledger…
