[Intro, silky, poised, amused] Oh, do keep your voice down, darling. If they hear us, they’ll only want details. And truly… I should hate to ruin the surprise. [Verse 1, elegant, smug, melodic] Pearls at me throat and a smile set just right, Green eyes like daggers in chandelier light, Red hair pinned up with a fortune in gold, Sweet as a debutante, sharp as I’m told. They watch how I curtsy, they watch how I grin, They never quite notice the game that I’m in, All silk and civility, poise and perfume, While I pick out the girl I should ruin by June. [Pre-Chorus, playful, catty] Oh, she’s ever so rich, Oh, she’s terribly new, Bought her place at the table With a merchant’s best suit. Well, let her wear diamonds, Let her husband sell stone— I’ll have the whole city Talking of me alone. [Chorus, big, catchy, vain] I want to be the talk of Brightstone, love, The spark in every gilded room, The girl they praise with perfect posture While whispering scandal in the gloom. Let them gasp, let them stare, Let them wonder what I’ve done, A little lace, a little theft, A little ruin dressed as fun. If I cannot be the richest, I shall be the one they chase— And every bored old noble tongue Will have to learn my name. [Verse 2, sly, refined, venomous] I can’t throw coin like a duchess at war, Can’t empty Father’s coffers for every decor, But I can be clever, and clever’s divine, When someone else’s treasure looks lovelier as mine. So send in the shadows, the quick little crows, To pluck what a vulgar new socialite shows, A bracelet, a letter, a sapphire fan, Anything stolen looks better in hand. [Pre-Chorus, rising, delighted] A lady mustn’t sully Her gloves with the deed, So I merely provide Taste, motive, and need. They call it improper— I call it an art, A theft with good manners And excellent heart. [Chorus, fuller, brighter, arrogant] I want to be the talk of Brightstone, love, The spark in every gilded room, The girl they praise with perfect posture While whispering scandal in the gloom. Let them gasp, let them stare, Let them wonder what I’ve done, A little lace, a little theft, A little ruin dressed as fun. If I cannot be the richest, I shall be the one they chase— And every simpering rival there Will curtsy to my face. [Bridge, slower, intimate, poisonous] You thought me just an ornament, A pretty little thing in cream, A polished smile, a careful laugh, A harmless daughter in a dream. But I have seen the cracks in all of you, The debts, the lust, the frightened pride, And once you know where weakness lives, You needn’t shout to turn the tide. [Breakdown, half-spoken, smug] No, darling, I don’t steal for money. That would be common. I steal for effect. [Final Chorus, dramatic, triumphant] I am the talk of Brightstone, love, The name beneath each painted breath, The girl in satin gloves and emeralds Who smiles and sends for little deaths. Let them gasp, let them stare, Let them swear I’ve gone too far, They’ll still arrive at every party Wondering where I are. If I cannot own the whole room, Then I’ll own its fear and grace— And every shining, shallow soul Will make a stage of my face. Yes, every bored old noble tongue Will have to learn my name. [Outro, soft, dangerous, pleased] Now do be useful, won’t you? There’s a woman in Brightstone wearing a necklace that would look ever so much better missing.
