[Intro] (Reduce... reduce...) [Verse 1] The order came on a single sheet, Under a glass of tea. Nobody said the word "burn" out loud, They said "reduce," and looked at me. [Pre-Chorus] Box by box, I carry them down, Forty years of names. [Chorus] In the furnace room, the lights are low, Smoke is rising slow. In the furnace room, I watch them go, Names I used to know. But one thin folder, close to me, Will not burn tonight. [Verse 2] Lena came home on the second dawn, A bruise she wouldn't explain. A bus ticket, a pencilled name: "The grey hat is Sokolov's man." [Pre-Chorus] He closed his door, he'd never done that, He asked me, soft and slow: [Chorus] In the furnace room, the lights are low, Smoke is rising slow. In the furnace room, I watch them go, Names I used to know. But one thin folder, close to me, Will not burn tonight. [Bridge] "Which side of the fire are you standing on?" Folder in my lining, heart in my throat. The guard says goodnight, I whisper it back, Two lines on the lamppost: now. [Final Chorus] In the furnace room, the lights are low, Smoke is rising slow. Through the side door into snow, Only I will know. One thin folder, close to me, Carried out tonight. [Outro] (Two lines... now...) [End]
