[Intro] (melancholic alto saxophone hook swells over warm acoustic strumming and electric piano) [Verse 1] (smooth, weary lead vocals) Winding through the damp Victorian terrace rows Watching how the diesel smoke and quiet mist blows The city is a carousel that turns too fast Every little dream feels tethered to the past You put your heavy boots upon the pavement stone Surrounded by the crowd, yet quietly alone Holding back a tremor when the morning breaks Wondering how much more a working spirit takes [Pre-Chorus] (rising harmony, steady snare) And you try to make some sense of all the gray outside Counting all the compromises you still hide Keep yourself together till the shift is through Waiting for a clearance in the heavy blue [Chorus] (warm, soaring vocals with backing harmony) Hold on, hold on, we’re just holding on for tomorrow Trade in the hours, burying all of the sorrow Yes, we’re holding on, holding on for tomorrow The lights of London flick and burn away Hoping that the dawn will bring a better day [Saxophone Riff] (iconic, searing saxophone fill over solid drum pocket) [Verse 2] (grounded, reflective delivery) Climb up to the hilltop just to gaze down wide Sprawling brick and mortar where the lost souls hide Everybody’s looking for a plot of green Somewhere past the flicker of the television screen You light another smoke and let the ash just fall Leaning your cold shoulder on the council wall Chasing phantom visions through a cloudy glass Waiting for the bitter winds of change to pass [Pre-Chorus] (building tension, gentle Rhodes flourishes) And you tell yourself it’s only just a rough patch here Drinking in the parlor just to kill the fear Brushing off the cynicism round your door Hoping that tomorrow doesn't settle score [Chorus] (full harmonic swell) Hold on, hold on, we’re just holding on for tomorrow Trade in the hours, burying all of the sorrow Yes, we’re holding on, holding on for tomorrow The lights of London flick and burn away Hoping that the dawn will bring a better day [Bridge] (rhythm softens, introspective and sparse) (intimate vocal delivery) The sirens wail into the northern gloom Another lonely kettle boiling in the room And when the world feels far too hard to comprehend You tell yourself the road must straighten round the bend [Guitar Solo] (melodic, bluesy 1970s electric guitar solo trade-off) [Chorus] (maximum energy, triumphant yet nostalgic) Hold on, hold on, we’re just holding on for tomorrow Trade in the hours, burying all of the sorrow Yes, we’re holding on, holding on for tomorrow The lights of London flick and burn away Hoping that the dawn will bring a better day [Outro] (powerful, expressive alto saxophone improvising over driving groove) (backing vocals repeating and fading) Holding on... Just holding on for tomorrow... (saxophone and lead guitar harmonize on main riff) (fade out)
