Banister Hold

[Verse 1: Thunderbolting ridge-lunged male vocalist, thunderbolting, measured] Mop bucket parked, atrium empty as a held breath Marble keeps every footstep better than it keeps a death I climb two flights because the banister fits my hand Test a note the way a worker tests a span No crowd, no program, only the hall learning me Heavy kick inside my chest where the wax used to be Thunderbolting soft into a hall built for decree I sing for the wood that never asked a fee [Hook: Thunderbolting ridge-lunged male vocalist, loud, thunderbolting, belted] This banister holds every note I almost keep Grain under my palm like a promise running deep I clean the night, I sing the part the building needs Belt it honest until the upper story heeds [Verse 2: Thunderbolting ridge-lunged male vocalist, thunderbolting, warmer] One night a lamp clicks on above the third-floor rail Judge or clerk, I never learned the full detail They do not clap, they do not cough, they leave the light Like permission shaped as wattage after dark Rising strings find me the way a stair finds feet Wide snare answers like a gavel learning heat I am not auditioning for a life I do not want I am proving empty rooms can still be honest fonts [Verse 3: Thunderbolting ridge-lunged male vocalist, varnish warm, thunderbolting, belted] Varnish warm under my thumb from the friction of the hold Strings climb with the warmth like a verdict made of gold I belt the last line harder than the job requires Upper light stays steady through the settling nest of wires Mop water cools, my shift returns to ordinary glass Banister Hold is private and it still can last Hard beauty does not need a ticket or a crown It needs a cleaner brave enough to sing the building down [Bridge: Thunderbolting ridge-lunged male vocalist, loud, thunderbolting, belted] Grip the rail, lift the chest Beauty hits harder when it will not rest Varnish warm, light above I sang the night a kind of love [Hook: Thunderbolting ridge-lunged male vocalist, loud, thunderbolting, belted] This banister holds every note I almost keep Grain under my palm like a promise running deep I clean the night, I sing the part the building needs Belt it honest until the upper story heeds [Outro: Thunderbolting ridge-lunged male vocalist, quiet huge, rising strings ring out and fade] Varnish warm, still holding Tell the atrium I kept singing [End]