Red October Rag

[Intro – vinyl crackle, ticking clock, balalaika, distant crowd] Traveler speaking... Coordinates locked... Petrograd... October... Nineteen Seventeen... ... This might get... complicated. [Verse 1 – balalaika, swing piano, glitch beat] Stepped through the portal Hat in my hand Snow on the rooftops Banners in the wind Factories roaring People in the square You could almost taste Revolution in the air Every street was louder Than the one before History was knocking On another door I asked for directions A soldier simply smiled "Friend... Nobody knows anymore." [Pre-Chorus – bayan, brass] Tick-tock The empire shakes One more speech One more mistake [Chorus – Electro Swing, Russian folk groove] HEY! PETROGRAD'S ON FIRE TONIGHT! EVERY HEART IS READY TO FIGHT! BALALAIKAS BRASS AND STEAM! I'M DANCING THROUGH A REVOLUTION DREAM! HEY! WHAT A SIGHT! THE WORLD TURNS RED! I'M WRITING MEMORIES INSIDE MY HEAD! [Verse 2 – rap, swing rhythm] Met a worker Outside the mills Hands like iron Stronger than steel He laughed and said, "The world's about to change." I answered, "I've heard that before..." ...Just not yet. Crowds kept marching Flags held high Every conversation Asked the question, "Why?" I stayed quiet Watched it unfold Some stories Are too important To interrupt [Pre-Chorus – strings, bayan] Every corner Every song Felt like history Moving along [Chorus – bigger] HEY! PETROGRAD'S ON FIRE TONIGHT! EVERY HEART IS READY TO FIGHT! BALALAIKAS BRASS AND STEAM! I'M DANCING THROUGH A REVOLUTION DREAM! HEY! SPIN THE CLOCK! DON'T STAND STILL! TIME NEVER STOPS... AND NEVER WILL! [Verse 3 – fast Glitch-Hop rap] Snowflakes falling Train whistles cry Newspapers flying Across the sky One old world Starts to fade One new world Gets its first page Every handshake Every debate Could become A different fate So I buttoned up My old brown coat And kept my pocket watch Close to my throat [Bridge – balalaika, choir, orchestral strings] I'm only a traveler Passing through time Not a hero Not changing the lines Some moments belong To the people who lived them I'm only here To remember them [Glitch-Hop Breakdown – scratches, balalaika, bayan] Spin! Jump! Clock! Gear! Another century Drawing near! Snow! Steam! Raise your hat! History's faster Than all of that! [Instrumental Break – Electro Swing meets Russian folk] [Balalaika solo answered by clarinet] [Bayan joins the swing brass] [Glitch beats weave through a Russian folk dance] [Final Chorus – full orchestra, brass, Russian folk ensemble] HEY! PETROGRAD'S STILL SINGING LOUD! I CAN HEAR IT THROUGH THE CROWD! EVERY FOOTSTEP EVERY RHYME! ANOTHER PAGE INSIDE OF TIME! HEY! ONE MORE DANCE! ONE MORE RIDE! MY POCKET WATCH IS STILL MY GUIDE! I'M JUST A TRAVELER... PASSING THROUGH... BUT EVERY CENTURY TEACHES SOMETHING NEW! [Outro – ticking pocket watch, balalaika, vinyl crackle] Traveler speaking... Petrograd... You'll be remembered. Next destination... Whenever the clock decides.