[Intro — tide hiss, one fuzzy guitar note, distant bell] [Radio, crackling] "Coastal warning: the coast has gone missing." [Female, whisper] Someone left a light on at the end of the world. [Male] I thought I'd see who it was for. [Verse 1 — close baritone, lazy trip-hop pocket] I followed little footprints through the salt and sand, Past a shop that sold umbrellas for a cloudless land. The windows held reflections from a summer long gone, And a jukebox played a heartbeat when the power was off. There was a lighthouse on a hill with no ocean below, Just a field of paper flowers where the night winds blow. An old keeper wore a coat full of postcards and pins, Said, "The waves all disappeared, but I still let them in." He poured a cup of tea that tasted faintly of rain, Said, "You can lose the whole horizon and still know where to aim." I said, "I'm not sure I believe you." He smiled, "That's alright." Then he handed me a match and said, "Go and meet the light." [Pre-Chorus — female, thin strings gathering] Beyond the rooftops, beyond the blue, Something in the dark is calling through. You don't need a coastline, don't need a name, To keep a little fire from forgetting its flame. [Chorus — female lead, soft male undertone] Oh, shine on, shine on, nowhere to go, Through the velvet air where the lost winds blow. If the world turns its back and the stars fall through, I'll leave a little light in the dark for you. Oh, shine on, shine on, even when The tide won't come and the clocks forget ten. If you can't find the shore, let the night be new; There's a lighthouse in the silence shining through. [Instrumental — looping fuzz guitar, brushed beat, aching violin] [Sample, childlike and distant] "Has anybody seen the sea?" [Other voice] "Try looking underneath your feet." [Small laugh, tape rewind] [Verse 2 — male storytelling, gently more rhythmic] Up the winding wooden staircase, twenty floors or three, Every landing held a door to some forgotten memory. There were birthdays I had missed and apologies unsent, A room full of old arguments that nobody had won yet. There were strangers in the hallway who all knew my face, But they called me by the names I'd been in other places. One was quiet, one was reckless, one was brave enough to cry, One had spent a hundred mornings teaching fear to multiply. I asked them, "Which one's real?" And the keeper shook his head: "You're a thousand little stories, not the worst one that you read." Then the light began to spin and every doorway turned to gold, And I heard the ocean breathing from a future not yet told. [Pre-Chorus — female, nearer now] Beyond the rooftops, beyond the blue, Something in the dark is calling through. You don't need a coastline, don't need a name, To keep a little fire from forgetting its flame. [Chorus — female doubles and tremolo guitar] Oh, shine on, shine on, nowhere to go, Through the velvet air where the lost winds blow. If the world turns its back and the stars fall through, I'll leave a little light in the dark for you. Oh, shine on, shine on, even when The tide won't come and the clocks forget ten. If you can't find the shore, let the night be new; There's a lighthouse in the silence shining through. [Breakdown — percussion melts; distant waves, cello, reversed piano] [Radio] "This is the last transmission from a place that never was." [Male, almost speaking] How many years did I spend looking out for rescue, While the door was standing open and the air was passing through? [Female, weightless] You can be a beacon for a boat you never see. You can hold the dark with kindness. You can let the dark hold me. [Long instrumental — cello answers distant guitar, waves become a pulse] [Verse 3 — full warm bass returns] When I reached the glass lantern, there was no electric glow, Only thousands of small fireflies moving beautifully slow. And the keeper said, "The sea comes back whenever it can rest. Till then, give the wandering something warm to navigate by." I watched the hills turn silver as the morning broke apart, Found a tiny folded map where I'd been keeping my heart. It had circles round the places that I never dared to stay, And a line across the bottom saying, "Home is made each day." So I left the door wide open and I walked into the dawn, With a little less to carry, though the mystery carried on. [Final Chorus — luminous female harmony, full organic band] Oh, shine on, shine on, nowhere to go, Through the velvet air where the lost winds blow. If the world turns its back and the stars fall through, I'll leave a little light in the dark for you. Oh, shine on, shine on, even when The tide won't come and the clocks forget ten. If you can't find the shore, let the night be new; There's a lighthouse in the silence shining through. [Outro — guitar motif alone, surf slowly appearing] [Male] Did the water ever come back? [Keeper, distant] It was here the whole time. [Female, whispered] Look again. [One bell, tape hiss fades]
