[Intro — soft, playful, theatrical] Hush now… Tie the ribbon. Powder the shame. Paint the smile. And call me by a prettier name. [Verse 1 — light-footed, clever, smiling through pain] Little horns under borrowed lace, Gold eyes hidden behind a painted face, Sharp little teeth behind soft “yes, ma’am,” Walkin’ through the room like I’m one of them. Silk on my shoulders, gloves on my hands, Stolen grace from stolen plans, And if your purse feels thin tonight— Well, darling, that is my delight. [Pre-Chorus — rising, warm, dangerous] I take from the full and I give to the strange, To the girls in hoods and the boys they chain, To the ones called monster, devil, stain— I know their names. I know that pain. [Chorus — big, catchy, powerful] Just for one dance, let me be clean, No horns in the candle, no gold in the gleam, No devil they whisper, no beast in the hall, Just a girl in a dress when the night starts to fall. Let me spin, let me smile, let me breathe in the light, Let me steal one small heaven from the teeth of the night, And when the music holds me close again, I’m not their fear— I’m just a girl for one dance. [Verse 2 — stronger, more playful swagger] I stitch a queen from scraps and thread, A saint from silk, a bride from red, A merchant’s daughter, a widow in blue, Whoever the room most wants me to. And every coin from every fool Goes back to the lost, the strange, the cruelly used, To Tycherosi kids with nowhere to hide, To all the little beasts they keep outside. [Pre-Chorus — sharper, more emotional] You see a devil, I see a child Trying so hard to pass for mild, Trying so hard not to bare her teeth When all she wants is to be seen. [Chorus — bigger, brighter, aching underneath] Just for one dance, let me be clean, No horns in the candle, no gold in the gleam, No devil they whisper, no beast in the hall, Just a girl in a dress when the night starts to fall. Let me spin, let me smile, let me breathe in the light, Let me steal one small heaven from the teeth of the night, And when the music holds me close again, I’m not their fear— I’m just a girl for one dance. [Bridge — intimate, wounded, beautiful] But when the pins come out, When the powder fades, When the mirror keeps What the daylight made— There I am. All horn and ache. All careful breath And the shape I fake. Tell me true— If I walked in bare, Would you still call me lovely there? [Breakdown — pulsing, fierce, half-laughed] Take their gold. Take their rings. Take the comfort pretty money brings. Cut the hem. Hide the scars. Light a little heaven for the marred. Mask on. Chin high. Let them buy the polished lie. If I must steal to make us whole, Then bless my hands and damn my soul. [Final Chorus — biggest, triumphant, emotional] Just for one dance, let me be clean, No horns in the candle, no gold in the gleam, No devil they whisper, no beast in the hall, Just a girl in a dress when the night starts to fall. Let me spin, let me smile, let me breathe in the light, Let me steal one small heaven from the teeth of the night, And when the music holds me close again, I’m not their fear— I’m not their sin— I’m just a girl for one dance. [Outro — soft, smiling, sad] Tie the ribbon. Lift the chin. For one more night… Let the monster dance again.
