Title: Black Orchid’s Throne (Imperial Hymn) [Intro – Spoken-sung, breathy, with a gospel hum underneath] (Mmm… mmm-hmm…) They named me midnight before the garden ever woke. They caged me in crystal, called it a throne. But I remember... oh, I remember the jungle in my veins. (Can I get a witness?) [Verse 1 – Slow burn, soulful, Deborah Coleman-style smoky delivery] Velvet in the shadow, rooted in the deep I wear the weight of empire on petals that never sleep They built a glass cathedral just to watch me breathe But every bloom’s a whisper of the power they can’t keep No, they can’t keep... [Pre-Chorus – Rising intensity, slight rasp] You see the darkness as a stain I call it royal blood and rain A crown of thorns in silk array I blossom when the light turns grey (Turn grey now) [Chorus – Full gospel power, Aretha-style soaring melody, call-and-response implied] I am the imperial black orchid Bloom in the cracks of a palace floor, kid You can’t pick me, you can’t tame the night I’m the velvet revolution dressed in black and white (Say it again!) Black orchid – oh, I flower alone Even in empire, my roots are my own (Roots are my own, yeah) [Verse 2 – Grittier, more declarative, Deborah’s bluesy bite] They tuck me in satin, whisper prayers to my stem Call me a queen in a cage, a dark diadem But a throne made of gold can’t hold what I am – I’m the hush at the funeral, the roar of the damned (You better understand) [Pre-Chorus – More urgent, building] This midnight pigment isn’t grief It’s the colour of a true chief A spectre in the emperor’s wreath I teach the mighty how to weep (Oh, let ‘em weep now) [Chorus – Returns even bigger, with gospel ad-libs] I am the imperial black orchid Bloom in the cracks of a palace floor, kid You can’t pick me, you can’t tame the night I’m the velvet revolution dressed in black and white (Testify!) Black orchid – oh, I flower alone Even in empire, my roots are my own (My roots are my own, Lord) [Bridge – Gospel breakdown, melismatic, raw; spoken/shouted ad-libs in parenthesis] (Is that alright?) I’ve been called a bruise on the cheek of the sun (Ooh...) A beautiful wound where the light never runs But I’m not your mourning, I’m not your parade I’m the truth that the hothouse was always afraid of (Afraid of! Oh yes, I am) (Sing it with me now…) [Improvised vocal cascade over humming] Oh-oh-oh… empire’s daughter, water and shade… (Water and shade) Oh-oh-oh… I was never made for their masquerade… (Never made… mmm-hmm) [Final Chorus – Slow, majestic, free tempo, heavy gospel sustain] I am… the imperial black orchid… (I am, I am) Bloom in the cracks… of a palace floor… Oh, you can’t pick me, you sure can’t tame the night I’m the velvet revolution dressed in black and white (Just dressed in black and white) Black orchid – and I’ll flower alone Even in empire… my roots are my own (Roots are my own, yes they are) [Outro – Repeating hook, fading with smoky hums and a final growl] Black orchid… (Imperial) Black orchid… (I’m the velvet revolution) Roots are my own… (Oh, the roots… my own…) … Yeah. [Silence, then whispered with a weary, regal exhale] Always my own.
