[Instrumental Intro — delicate music-box melody; warm electric piano answers in a minor key. A deep bass groove enters beneath crisp drums, soft handclaps and distant strings] [Verse 1 — intimate, rhythmic male lead] October’s burning at the window, Candle wax along the sill. Everybody’s leaving the party, But somebody’s standing still. There’s a shadow by the staircase With its hand upon your coat. You can hear the floorboards answering Every word you never spoke. [Pre-Chorus — guitar tightens; strings slowly rise] You turn the lock, you check it twice, Something laughs on the other side. Then your reflection turns its head And mouths the words you haven’t said. [Chorus — smooth, infectious; rich self-harmonies and bright, unsettling brass] Slow, slow, let the darkness in, Feel it moving underneath your skin. Step, step, closer, take my hand, There’s a road tonight to Neverland. Oh, it knows the things you’re dreaming of, And it wears the face of someone you love. Sweet as honey when it calls your name, Once you follow, nothing stays the same. [Instrumental Turnaround — melodic bass and clipped guitar; the music-box hook returns beneath a sliding violin] [Verse 2 — warmer delivery; percussion becomes more insistent] Paper faces in the gutter, Pumpkin grins along the street. Every porch light flickers slowly To the rhythm of your feet. There’s a car outside your doorway, But the driver has no face. And the road beyond the headlights Doesn’t lead to any place. [Pre-Chorus — layered self-harmonies; low organ enters] You call a friend, the line goes dead, You hear their voice upstairs instead. It says, “Come on, you’re running late.” Your shadow’s waiting at the gate. [Chorus — stronger vocal lift; sweeping strings] Slow, slow, let the darkness in, Feel it moving underneath your skin. Step, step, closer, take my hand, There’s a road tonight to Neverland. Oh, it knows the things you’re dreaming of, And it wears the face of someone you love. Sweet as honey when it calls your name, Once you follow, nothing stays the same. [Instrumental Passage — sleek bass solo beneath ghostly organ; guitar and brass trade short, sharp phrases. The groove stays smooth as the harmony darkens] [Bridge — drums fall away; close vocal, piano and ticking percussion] There’s a ballroom past the garden, There’s a place laid out for you. There are roses on the table, Every single one is blue. Everybody knows your birthday. Nobody can tell the time. You look down at their invitations— Every name on them is mine. [Build — lead becomes urgent; strings climb and drums gather] Wait— Who’s that standing in my clothes? Wait— How’d you know what no one knows? Turn the lights up! Let me see! Why’s my shadow smiling back at me? [One beat of silence] [Explosive Instrumental Release — full drums, thunderous melodic bass, sweeping strings and stabbing brass; the music-box melody becomes a towering orchestral hook] [Final Chorus — powerful, soaring lead with layered self-harmonies] Slow, slow, now the darkness sings, Hear it moving through the violin strings. Step, step, closer, take my hand, You’ve been dancing into Neverland. Oh, it knew the things you were dreaming of, So it wore the face of someone you loved. Sweet as honey when it called your name— Now the doorway doesn’t look the same. [Instrumental Payoff — bass and drums drive beneath an ascending string passage; brass answers the lead’s ad-libs] [Lead — passionate, increasingly desperate] Let me see the morning! Let me hear the street! There was someone at the doorway— Now it’s looking just like me! [Outro — instruments stop; the music box continues slightly out of tune] [Soft, close whisper] October’s over. The candles died. Your shadow came home… You stayed inside.
