[Key: A, Mode: Aeolian, Chord Progression: Am - G - F - E, BPM: 132, Style: classic two tone ska revival, Vocal Identity: male, clipped and controlled through verses and choruses, breaking into rapid fire manic intensity at the bridge, pulling back to worn and confessional in the final chorus] [Intro, tight and coiled, 4 bars, A minor skank locks in immediately, brass stab count-in] [Verse 1, clipped and controlled, 8 bars, A minor, deadpan restrained delivery, dry vocal upfront] Fold it in half, tuck it under the bed Laugh loud to drown the screams in your head Learned every trick like a game I play Keep the room tidy and keep the truth at bay Father said feelings are just a waste of time Mother nodded silently and poured her wine I got so good at packing boxes up nice and neat Nobody noticed the floor buckling underneath [Chorus, measured and proud, 8 bars, A minor, gang vocal answers on the tag lines] I keep it boxed, I keep it neat (keep it boxed) Every corner folded, every crack is fine, discrete (keep it neat) Seal it up, keep it tight (keep it boxed) The nightmares stand post all night (standing post) [Verse 2, same clipped control, 8 bars, A minor, slightly brighter delivery masking the strain] Sixteen and steady, the poster child of fine Trophies on the shelf hiding cracks in the spine Learned to smile brighter the worse that it got Called it discipline, never once called it what it's not Every family reunion, another box gets stacked Build them up higher, don't let them see the cracks Got so good at holding, gripping them tight Didn't know the boxes were swallowing the light [Chorus, measured and proud, 8 bars, A minor, gang vocal answers] I keep it boxed, I keep it neat (keep it boxed) Every corner folded, every crack is fine, discrete (keep it neat) Seal it up, keep it tight (keep it boxed) The nightmares stand post all night (standing post) [Bridge, unraveling and manic, 8 bars, feel rushes to double time though BPM holds, vocal breaks from clipped control into rapid fire fraying intensity, near screamed at the peak] Keep it boxed, keep it boxed, keep it, keep it, can't keep it boxed Every box I ever built just collapsed, collapsed, collapsed Thirty years of holding, thirty years of lying still Now it's all coming up, all coming up I can't, I can't I can't I can't take it ANY MORE [Verse 3, spilled open and unsteady, 8 bars, A minor, delivery stays raw and fraying, phrasing spills past the bar lines] So here's the mess I hid so well Here's the version I never let you see Every box I built to keep you comfortable Was just another wall between me and me Didn't stop the flood, can't stop the tide Thirty years of practice and I still can't hide Turns out the calm was just a well rehearsed line Turns out the coping was the crack the whole time [Final Chorus, worn and confessional, 8 bars, A minor, delivery pulls back near spoken, gang vocals thin to a single voice or drop out entirely] I keep it boxed, I keep it neat (keep it boxed) Every corner folded, every crack is fine, discrete (keep it neat) Seal it up, keep it tight (keep it boxed) The nightmares stand post all night (standing post) [Melancholic Outro, 4 bars, Vocal Fade] [Solo Instrumental Outro, 8 bars, Decrescendo] [Smooth slow fade, clean outro note]
