[Verse 1] They asked me how. It answered, “Fine.” My mouth spoke first. I fell behind. It shook their hands, it held each gaze, then filed the panic under grace. No scene to clean, no glass to break, just warmth adjusted to the weight. The room approved the polished view. I let it speak. It sounded true. [Pre-Chorus] No pulse required, no truth to prove. The smile knew every practiced move. It wore my name, it kept the pace, and made withdrawal look like grace. [Chorus] Absent with elegance, perfect attendance. My face made the entrance. I left no evidence. Absent with elegance, smoothed every question. Everybody praised my presence. I was missing from the sentence. [Verse 2] It knew the laugh, the light, the pour, how much of me the room could afford. It took the praise, declined the blame, and signed the silence with my name. A compliment arrived on cue. The face received it as its due. They called me poised. They called me rare. I heard my name collect its share. [Pre-Chorus] No seam gave way beneath the light. The fit was tailored to the night. It kept the pace, preserved the place, and taught departure how to stay. [Chorus] Absent with elegance, perfect attendance. My face made the entrance. I left no evidence. Absent with elegance, smoothed every question. Everybody praised my presence. I was missing from the sentence. [Verse 3] The guests went home. The room went black. It stacked the glasses, closed the tab. It squared the chairs, reset the scene, then polished nothing till it gleamed. I let my shoulders lose their place. It set them back and fixed my face. No eyes to charm, no one to please— it smiled before I thought to breathe. [Bridge] At dawn I said, “You can clock out.” It used my laugh to brush it off. “You set the hours. Named the rate. Don’t blame the help for staying late.” It smoothed the crease I couldn’t stand, then placed my glass back in my hand. The room stood still. No one came in. It raised my chin and clocked back in. [Final Chorus] Absent with elegance, permanent residence. My face owns the entrance. I’m kept for reference. Absent with elegance, no further questions. Everybody praised my presence. I was missing from the sentence. [Outro] Clock out. Take the polish. Take the credit. Leave me what refused the edit.
