SOMEWHERE AFTER MIDNIGHT [Intro — 84 BPM, lazy swinging country noir. Muted baritone guitar, brushed snare, warm bass. Distant crying pedal steel, low Wurlitzer. Smoky barroom ambience.] [Verse 1 — Low, intimate male baritone, conversational, mysterious] I was sitting at the bar beneath a flickering neon sign, Had a twenty on the counter, ordered whiskey, took my time. My wallet sat beside me, and my jacket on the chair, When a pretty little stranger asked if someone was sitting there. She settled in beside me with a smile I couldn't place, Set her handbag on the counter, turned and looked me in the face. She asked me where I'd come from, then she asked me where I'd been, And somewhere in that conversation, something vanished in between. [Spoken] I'd seen the news earlier that day. About people being distracted with a promise So thieves could ply their trade I don't get younger women paying This kind of attention, So you can bet on what crossed my mind [Chorus — Wide cinematic country noir, crying pedal steel] Something's missing, I can feel it, Something I had when I came. I've been looking all around me, Trying to figure who's to blame. I know it was here a moment, I know it didn't walk away, And that woman sitting next to me Has got some explaining to say. [Verse 2 — Sparse arrangement, subtle harmonica answers] I checked the pocket of my jacket, then I checked the other side, Looked beneath the wooden counter, where a hundred secrets hide. She said, "Honey, lose something?" with a twinkle in her eye, And I said, "I think I might have," but she never asked me why. She leaned across to touch my sleeve, her perfume filled the air, And while I watched her smiling, I forgot what brought me there. She moved her handbag closer, kept her fingers out of sight, And I started getting nervous 'bout the way she'd planned the night. [Chorus — Pedal steel swells, tension rising] Something's missing, I can feel it, Something I had when I came. I've been looking all around me, Trying to figure who's to blame. I know it was here a moment, I know it didn't walk away, And that woman sitting next to me Has got some explaining to say. [Instrumental — 8 bars, ominous baritone guitar and pedal steel trading phrases, Wurlitzer underneath] [Verse 3 — Half-spoken, dry humor, growing suspicion] The bartender set my glass down, said, "You looking for a fight?" I said, "No, I'm looking for something that was here earlier tonight." He pointed toward the table, said, "Your twenty's sitting there," But I wasn't feeling better, and she just smiled from her chair. I found my wallet in my jacket, credit card was tucked inside, My sunglasses by the coaster, where I'd left 'em when I tried To read the menu in the darkness, but the menu wasn't gone, And still I knew that something had been missing all along. [Bridge — Strip to bass, brushed snare, low baritone guitar] No broken locks, no shattered glass, No footsteps running free, No stranger slipping out the door, No crime for folks to see. But she was sitting awful close, And smiling mighty sweet, And every time I looked her way, I couldn't find my feet. [Final Chorus — Wider, more urgent, pedal steel crying] Something's missing, I can feel it, Something I had when I came. I've been looking all around me, Trying to figure who's to blame. I know it was here a moment, And I know who's standing near, But the closer that she moves to me, The less things seem so clear. [Final Verse — Music gradually drops away, voice increasingly intimate] She said, "You sure you had it When you walked in here tonight?" I said, "Lady, I'm as certain As that neon shining bright." She said, "Well, maybe I can help you, Tell me what you're looking for." Then she leaned in close and whispered, "Are you leaving, or one more?" [Almost complete silence — only faint bass pulse] I looked toward the exit, Then I looked into her eyes. And finally I understood What she'd taken by surprise. [Complete silence — final word spoken dryly, unaccompanied] Willpower.
