Verse 1, Upright bass and slide guitar] Velvet masks and silver fangs, Midnight laughter where the trumpet sang. The saints parade through shadows deep, While vampires waltz and angels weep. [Pre-Chorus, Strings swell, subtle tambourine shimmer] The spell is cast, the stars all fall, The Devil’s hum echoes through it all. [Chorus, Full orchestra and gospel choir “Hallelujah in minor key”] Crimson masquerade, let the night begin, Where the horns of Bourbon drown the sin. Through the jazz, the blood, the haze, We dance in the crimson masquerade. [Verse 2, Guitar blues riff with violin harmony] Queen of the dark in a gown of fire, Her eyes burn low with old desire. Cards on the table, fate on her tongue, She hums a hymn that can’t be sung. [Bridge, Brass crescendo, gospel choir chants ] The swamp breathes heavy, the shadows call, The city’s heartbeat stops for all. Every trumpet’s cry, every sinner’s prayer, Finds its home in the thick night air. [Chorus, Grand symphony and gospel choir soaring ] Crimson masquerade, let the night begin, Where the horns of Bourbon drown the sin. Through the jazz, the blood, the haze, We dance in the crimson masquerade. [Outro, piano and violin , Whispered vocal fade] The candles die, the spell still stays, New Orleans sleeps in scarlet ways. Every ghost, every heart betrayed, Still dances… the crimson masquerade.
