[Intro - Deep pulsing C-minor bassline, distant echoing Roman cathedral choir chanting in Latin, heavy gold coin spinning on marble] [Male Choir Chant - Low, haunting, layered with vinyl crackle and pitch-shift glitch] "Iane Bifrons... muta carnem... Duo vultus... sub nocte..." [Sudden reality-warp glitch sound effect, twelve heavy clock chimes, dry 99 BPM breakbeat kicks in] [Spoken, low, cold female voice] "Yes, it's me. No, we're not discussing it. Take the glass, sweetheart. You're staying until I sort this mess out." [Verse 1: Low, smoky, rhythmic female contralto] Two glasses on the marble, one neat and one on ice Half a million on the ledger, somebody paid the price Maybe Moretti’s hitters are waiting down below Or maybe I bought the paper just to never let you go. You knew the boy in Brooklyn, same scar below the eye Pulled you out the freezing river, swore I’d never let you die Now the penthouse door is bolted and your keys are in my coat And you’re staring at the Roman gold burning at my throat. [Pre-Chorus: Haunting Latin choir backing vocals, glitchy synth swell] (Iane Bifrons! Muta carnem!) One face looks back at what we used to be (Clausis foribus! Sub nocte!) One face looks ahead at what you wanted to see You never wanted Victor, no matter what I’d do So I flipped the cursed coin and tore reality in two... [Chorus: Heavy, hypnotic 99 BPM blues-trip-hop groove with choir harmony] Tell me which side of the coin is the face you trust? Is it protection, sweetheart, or is it dust? Same cold hands in a different skin (Duo vultus!) I locked the world out just to lock you in. You can call me your savior, you can call me your thief— Either way, you’re mine underneath. [Break: Greasy blues slide guitar solo interrupted by glitching tape-stop distortion and whispered Latin] (Muta carnem... muta formam... ante lucem...) [Spoken, low and matter-of-fact] "Who gave you permission to touch what's mine? Get out." [Verse 2: Tight, commanding noir swagger] Don't look for the exit, don't reach for the phone The safest place in New York is the cage that I own I broke my own guard's jaw just for grabbing your sleeve Now what makes you think I’m gonna let you leave? An old priest in Palermo told me what the relic costs At six in the morning, the illusion is lost Unless the bargain’s sealed before the sky turns grey— And Victor’s erased so the woman can stay. [Pre-Chorus: Latin choir rising with glitching sub-bass] (Iane Bifrons! Sanguis manet!) One face for the daylight, ruthless and cold (Duo vultus! Unum cor!) One face for the midnight, cast in Roman gold I've never asked you to change who you are So appreciate the price that I paid thus far... [Chorus: Full heavy groove] Tell me which side of the coin is the face you trust? Is it protection, sweetheart, or is it dust? Same cold eyes in a different skin (Duo vultus!) I locked the world out just to lock you in. You can call me your savior, you can call me your thief— Either way, you’re mine underneath. [Bridge: Beat drops out into glitching static, heartbeat sub-bass, and whispered Latin chants] (Clausis foribus... ante lucem... muta carnem...) [Spoken, cold and intimate, slight low-pitched vocal double] "You say I can't just keep you here? I can. That's rather the point. Why do I care? Because I don't enjoy losing things that belong to me. And don't give me that look, sweetheart. You'd rather I let him break your arm?" [Outro: Slide guitar, Latin choir, and glitching clock chimes fading out] Iane Bifrons... (six hours till dawn) Duo vultus, unum cor... (till the night is gone) The face you trust, sweetheart. Drink the whiskey. [Glitchy tape-stop and heavy gold coin landing flat on marble]
