[Intro: Sparse upright piano, slow ¾ time, Finger-picked acoustic guitar, minimal reverb, Lo-fi, Glass clinks. Piano starts slow. Bar hum fades to silence.]: Bartender says it's last call Says he's about to shut it down He said "I'm tired of cleanin' up after all y'all" And kicked us all out [whispers]: “One more drink… yeah, just one more…” [Verse 1: Ghostlike slide guitar weeps under each line, Bass enters subtly with moody swells, Piano chords slightly off-tempo, mimicking a stagger]: I’m staring down a glass like it’s a wishing well But every wish I made just burned in hell The jukebox died, the crowd’s gone home It’s me and my shadow...both overblown Bartender’s wiping down my sins Says, “It’s time to go, my friend…” But my legs don’t work like they used to My dreams don’t beg like they used to [Pre-chorus]: I said "If it's last call Then just pour it in a bucket" Just get me on a plane to anywhere I haven't been I don't need no water [Bartender said]: "Get out, Bro" [Chorus: Slight volume lift, more vocal grit, Reverb-drenched snare hits, slow march beat, Faint background vocal wails]: Last call… and I’m still here Holding ghosts in cheap veneer There’s no more show No place to go Just the bottle’s whisper in my ear Last call… for men like me Drowning slow where no one sees The light's turned low And I move too slow To outrun what’s killing me If it's last call Then I'm takin' it all The bartender said I had to go [Verse]: Said it's last call for alcohol Last chance to drink 'em down We were takin' the party out to the parking lot If the cops didn't come shut it down There’s lipstick on the rim from some old flame I don’t recall her face...just the shame Time forgot to cash me out So I paid in pain, poured neat with doubt There’s a photo in my wallet, curled and torn Her eyes still ask, “Where’ve you gone?” But I lost that man in a war with time Now I just sip to rewrite the rhyme [Pre-chorus]: Said "If it's last call Then just pour it in a bucket" Just get me on a plane to anywhere I haven't been I don't need no water [Bartender said]:"Get out, Bro" [Chorus: Slight volume lift, more vocal grit]: Last call… but I won’t fight I’ll fade like smoke into the night No curtain close Just final blows From all the drinks I didn’t need tonight If it's last call Then I'm takin' it all The bartender said I had to go He said 'Cause I was movin' too slow And there's no more show [Bridge: Melodic descent, guitar mimics a man falling down stairs, Bar stool creaks + fading harmonica wail]: And if there’s a God behind this bar Pour me a prayer, put it in a jar But don’t give me hope Don’t sell me light Just lock the doors and kill the night [Final Chorus – melancholic, breaking voice]: Last call… and it’s too late No more songs, no twist of fate No second round No sacred sound Just a soul too broke to wait [Outro: Instruments drop out, leaving just the voice] [voice fades in]: “C’mon, man… it’s time.” [Final piano note holds… silence.]
