[Intro: Peking opera male lead, high opera cry over wooden clappers] Ya-a-a, clappers in the dark, and the drums roll in like war Hao, the boy who used to run is standin' on the floor [Verse 1: Peking opera male lead, sung-rap over huge war drums] I was nine and I was scared of every bully on the stair Every time they said my name, my face would light up like a flare They would laugh, "Look, the tomato, look at little Mister Shame" And I'd run home holdin' cheeks that burned hotter than the name Auntie Mei on the third floor used to sing the old plays loud She caught me cryin' at her door and said it clear, above the crowd "On the old stage red's the general, red's the one who never bends Red's the loyal, red's the fearless, red's the man who guards his friends" [Hook: Peking opera male lead, full war drums] Go on and laugh it up, 'cause I'm red in the face That's the general's color, and the general holds his place In the old plays red is the one who never runs So every time I'm blushin', jiayou, I'm the brave one [Verse 2: Peking opera male lead, heavier, wooden clappers between the lines] Spring show at the school, she painted red from my chin up to my hair Drew the black brows like a storm front, glued the long beard on with care And the bully's in the front row with his buddies and his grin And my face went hot like always, and I felt it come again But it caught fire under paint, and nobody saw a thing 'Cause the red beneath the red looked like the red of a king So I stamped and struck the pose, and the drums broke like a wave And a boy who'd never stood his ground stood there and looked brave [Hook: Peking opera male lead, full war drums] Go on and laugh it up, 'cause I'm red in the face That's the general's color, and the general holds his place In the old plays red is the one who never runs So every time I'm blushin', jiayou, I'm the brave one [Bridge: Peking opera male lead, liangxiang strike, the clappers snap twice and the whole band slams into a frozen stage pose] Now I'm grown, and there's a man at Auntie Mei's with papers in his hand Sayin' sign it or get out, and she's too tired now to stand And I feel the heat come up my neck the way it did at nine But I know just what it is now, it's the costume, and it's mine So I step between the papers and the door she's lived behind And my face is red as fire, and I tell him, "Not this time" Hao, he looks me in the cheeks and sees a general at war And he folds his little papers and goes backward out the door [Final Hook: Peking opera male lead, full war drums] Go on and laugh it up, 'cause I'm red in the face That's the general's color, and the general holds his place In the old plays red is the one who never runs So every time I'm blushin', jiayou, I'm the brave one [End]
