The last bell of the glass kingdom

[Intro – staccato strings, bell tolling] Eb – F – Bb – Gm [Verse 1 – confident, steady, piano and strings] Eb F I wore a crown of polished glass, Bb Gm Watched the market kneel as I walked past, Eb F My name was etched on every gate, Bb Gm I thought the sunrise would always wait. [Verse 2] Eb F Silver trumpets, banners wide, Bb Gm A thousand soldiers marched beside, Eb F I held the kingdom in my hand, Bb Gm Never knowing it was made of sand. [Pre-Chorus – tension rising, timpani enter] Cm Gm Then the wind turned cold on the tower stair, Ab Bb And the whispers wouldn't leave the air. [Chorus – choir, full orchestra] Eb F Ring the bell, ring the bell, for the glass kingdom, Bb Gm Watch it fall like rain on the cobblestone, Eb F Oh-oh-oh, I was never the king I seemed, Bb Gm Just a shadow dressed in someone else's dream. [Verse 3 – darker, strings sharper] Eb F Midnight came with a quiet knock, Bb Gm Someone turned the key in the lock, Eb F The mirrors cracked, the candles died, Bb Gm And every friend had stepped aside. [Pre-Chorus] Cm Gm Now the wind blows cold through the broken door, Ab Bb And I hear the crowd that cheered no more. [Chorus – bigger, falsetto on the last line] Eb F Ring the bell, ring the bell, for the glass kingdom, Bb Gm Watch it fall like rain on the cobblestone, Eb F Oh-oh-oh, I was never the king I seemed, Bb Gm Just a shadow dressed in someone else's dream. [Bridge – timpani, strings swelling, spoken-sung] Cm Ab Forgive me, ghosts of the market square, Eb Bb I built a throne on a promise of air, Cm Ab And if you hear me, standing here, Eb Bb I'm just a man with nothing to fear. [Final Chorus – full choir, orchestra at maximum] Eb F Ring the bell, ring the bell, for the glass kingdom, Bb Gm Let it fall, let it fall, let the old world go, Eb F Oh-oh-oh, I was never the king I seemed, Bb Gm But I'm free, I'm free, in the quiet of the snow. [Outro – strings fade, single bell] Eb – F – Bb – Gm – Eb (bell tolls... silence)