PAPER PLANES TO PARADISE [Intro — *solo piano*; distant children hum; violin enters like a memory] [Children — *whispered, then growing*] **Paper planes** pass through the pouring rain, **Silver wings** sing, “We can soar again.” [Verse 1 — *intimate female vocal*] I kept a **crumpled wish** beneath my bed, A little letter filled with words I never said. The **cold clock called**, but I could hear that tune: “Send your *small, scared dreams* across the moon.” [Verse 2 — *melodic male rap; bass begins to pulse*] Back when the **bus broke down** on the boulevard, I built **big plans** from a backyard card. Bills blew in; **I bent, but I stayed**, Folded fresh wings from the mess we made. Mama said, “**Move** when the road looks steep.” So I saved that spark when the city slept. [Pre-Chorus — *violin climbs; children answer softly*] [Female] Let the wild wind wear these worries thin. [Children] *Let them in, let them in.* [Female] Hear those small wings beating once again. [Children] **Rise again, rise again.** [Chorus — *explosive EDM bass drop; full choir and soaring violin*] **Paper planes** pass through the pouring rain, **Fly, fly, fly** till we’re free again. Bright little dreams break the bitter blue, **Higher, higher**—heaven’s coming through. Paper planes pass through the pouring rain, Lost little wings can **learn to fly again**. [Bridge — *bass vanishes; haunting children’s choir over bare piano*] [Children] If one wing falls, **we’ll fold one more**. If rain rolls in, **we’ll reach the shore**. [Female] I see my younger self beneath that sky. [Male] I tell that kid, “**Keep your wings. Keep trying.**” [Final Chorus — *orchestra swells; layered vocals; deepest bass*] **Paper planes** pass through the pouring rain, **Fly, fly, fly** till we’re free again. Bright little dreams break the bitter blue, **Higher, higher**—heaven’s coming through. [Outro — *everything falls silent except the children*] [Children, a cappella] *Silver wings sing…* “**We can soar again.**”
