Can You See My Smile?

[Spoken Intro – Soft, Half‑Laughing] Meine Damen und Herren… Do not be alarmed. Dave insists he is perfectly cheerful. Yes… even with that trembling lip. [Verse 1] Can you see my smile, darling, or is it painted wrong? It wavers like a lantern in a draft that’s far too strong. I tilt it just so charmingly, the way the patrons like — But every grin I practice feels a little… over‑tight. [Verse 2] You ask me why I’m serious, why shadows haunt my cheek. I answer with a chuckle that is terribly antique. But truth slips through the cracks, my dear, like gin through shattered glass — A smile can be a fragile thing… too fragile to outlast. [Chorus] So tell me, love, can you see my smile, Or only the mask I wear? I swear it’s bright, I swear it’s real, Though it trembles in the air. And if I seem so serious, It’s only ’cause I fear That if I laugh too honestly… My heart might disappear. [Verse 3 – Dave’s Confession] Ah, but wait— I wasn’t speaking of myself, Not truly, not tonight. I meant our little Dave, you see, Who hides behind delight. His whiskers twitch with bravery, His posture bold and spry— But even chipmunks falter when Their courage runs too dry. [Bridge – Whispered Aside] “Dave, mein Schatz… You don’t have to smile for us. Not every night.” [Final Chorus] So can you see his smile, my dear, The one he tries to keep? It flickers like a cabaret Where laughter learns to weep. And if he seems so serious, Just hold him for a while— For even in 1927… A soul can break Behind a smile.