[Intro – sparse electric piano, distant saxophone] Room seventeen. Third floor. No luggage. And the curtains haven't moved all night. [Verse 1] A black umbrella by the hotel door A man checks in who has been here before He signs a name that isn't on the list Then disappears into the morning mist Across the street, behind a newspaper I count the cars and memorize the plates The photograph says she's arriving Tuesday She arrived yesterday. [Pre-Chorus] Something changed Between the call and the assignment Someone moved Before I even knew the game [Chorus] There's a man in room seventeen Watching someone I was sent to see There's a second shadow following me And one more name where mine should be No one lies without a reason No one watches an empty door If I'm here to find the answer Why was someone here before? [Verse 2] Her room is clean, too clean to be abandoned No suitcase, photographs or cigarettes A half-filled glass beside the open window And one red thread caught underneath the desk Inside the drawer: A railway timetable One station circled twice in blue And underneath, in handwriting I recognize— My name. [Pre-Chorus] Something changed Between the order and the target Someone knew Exactly when I'd cross the line [Chorus] There's a man in room seventeen Watching someone I was sent to see There's a second shadow following me And one more name where mine should be No one lies without a reason No one watches an empty door If I'm here to find the answer Why was someone here before? [Instrumental – Rhodes and alto sax trade short suspicious phrases, bass becomes more active, drums gradually intensify] [Bridge – half-spoken] The telephone rings. Once. Twice. I don't answer. It stops. Then the phone in room seventeen starts ringing. [Break] Three knocks on my door. [Low voice] “Wrong room.” [Instrumental rise] [Final Chorus] There's no man in room seventeen There's no record he was ever seen There's a photograph they gave to me— But someone changed the face. No one lies without a reason No one leaves without a trace If the woman is the target— Why is she watching me? [Outro – instruments drop away until only electric piano and low synth pulse remain] The telephone rings again. This time, I answer. [Female voice, distant] “Platform nine. Midnight. Come alone.” [Single saxophone note] [End]oha
