[Intro] (sabar rolls, mbalax guitars, Philly strings) [Verse 1] (mbalax groove, clavinet, organ stabs) The whole world wanted in at once the summer it got hot They lined up for the very thing that emptied while they sought The beach you loved in April when the sand was yours alone Is a stadium in August where the having can't be known [Chorus] (full band, strings up, group response) Peak season, and you finally got the door But so did everybody, and you can't find what it's for The wanting drew the millions and the millions ate the thing And the height of all the having is a hollow, crowded ring [Verse 2] (wah guitar, bass octaves, congas) A singer hit the moment when the whole town learned her name And couldn't hear the music for the roaring of the same A couple booked the famous view and queued to take it in And stood inside the postcard with a stranger's elbow in [Chorus] (fuller, synth brass) Peak season, and you finally got the door But so did everybody, and you can't find what it's for The wanting drew the millions and the millions ate the thing And the height of all the having is a hollow, crowded ring [Bridge] (drums drop to congas, rhodes only) There's a poverty in plenty, there's a hunger at the peak The thing that's wanted hardest is the thing you cannot keep For the crowd that proves it's precious is the crowd that wears it thin And the season at its fullest is the loneliest you've been [Sabar and Horn Break] (sabar solo and horn section) [Chorus] (final, stacked harmonies) Peak season, and the lines run out of sight Everybody got their wish on the same August night The wanting built a city where the quiet used to be And the height of all the having, you can hardly even see [Outro] (groove winding down) The crowds roll out in September and the beach comes back alone (peak's past, peak's past) And the having you were after, finally your own
