*Orphan Man** **(Music Intro: Begins with a gentle, arpeggiated piano melody in a minor key. Soft, shimmering synthesizer pads swell underneath, creating a sense of nostalgic atmosphere. After a few bars, a clean, gentle acoustic guitar joins in, strumming softly.)** **(Verse 1)** Piano plays a distant tune From a long-gone afternoon Scraped my knee beneath the moon My father's hands would lift me high My mother's voice would soothe my cry They were the sun, they were the sky I was just a boy, reaching for their hands Making little footprints in the sand... **(Verse 2)** The years went by, a turning page I built my own and took the stage Thought I'd come to a certain age I'd call them up to hear their voice A guiding whisper in the noise They were my anchor and my choice The place I'd run when I couldn't stand A safe harbor in a foreign land... **(Pre-Chorus)** **(The music begins to build. A soft, simple bass line enters, and the drums come in with a gentle, steady beat with soft hi-hats. Strings begin to swell in the background.)** You think that love's an endless light A constant star in the darkest night You never think you'll have to fight The silence when the day is done... **(Chorus)** And oh, the seasons turn so fast A future built upon the past The boy is grown, the race is run Beneath a cold and lonely sun Now the house is quiet, the chapter's at an end And there's no one left to call, my oldest friend I'm standing all alone, I finally understand I'm an Orphan Man. **(Verse 3)** I walk the halls where I once grew And every shadow looks like you A coffee cup, a worn-out shoe And in the mirror, I can see My father's eyes look back at me A lonely, rooted, family tree With just one branch left in the wind Not knowing how I can begin... **(Pre-Chorus)** **(The music builds again, with a bit more urgency and emotion this time.)** You think the sun will never set On a love you never can forget A silhouette you've always met At the closing of the day... **(Chorus)** **(The chorus hits with even more power and emotion. The lead vocal is higher and more impassioned.)** And oh, the seasons turn so fast A future built upon the past The boy is grown, the race is run Beneath a cold and lonely sun Now the house is quiet, the chapter's at an end And there's no one left to call, my oldest friend I'm standing all alone, I finally understand I'm an Orphan Man. Who am I in this quiet space? Without their smile, without their face? The compass that I used to hold... has lost its north and left And oh, the seasons TURN SO FAST! A future built upon the past! The boy is grown, the race is run BENEATH A COLD AND LONELY SUN! Now the house is quiet, the chapter's at an end And there's no one left to call, my oldest friend! I'm standing all alone, I FINALLY UNDERSTAND! I'm an Orphan Man! All alone... in this world... (Vocalist, softly, almost a whisper) An Orphan Man... **(The final piano chord rings out and fades to silence.)**
