Book II — Chapter X: wherein SCARLETT SARAH and her crew descend far beneath the Port of Wonders, passing beyond the Gate of Mysteries, and wherein long-sought answers are unearthed amidst unspeakable horrors, revealing that the depths below the harbor conceal truths older than the port itself, and that knowledge, once found, exacts a dreadful and irreversible price… [Tempo ≈ 135 BPM – 4/4 – restrained tension] [Bass Drone] [Fade in – bass only, repetitive line, dry tone, no drums] I’m looking for answers, Answers without questions, Certainties without proof. I keep finding answers (answers), Nonsense, Easy shortcuts, Cheap imitations, Just to calm myself down. [Pre-Chorus – drums enter, metronomic, chopped rhythm guitar, slow build] I’ve been searching for years, Searching since day one, Searching across the oceans, Searching over continents. [Chorus – full band restrained, voice more projected, tension held] Where are the answers? Who’s got the answers? Where are the answers To my questions? [Verse – return to minimal, bass + voice, offbeat guitar] I keep chasing answers Behind the door of mystery, Deep inside my head, Still no answers (no answers), For my doubts, For my promises, Where’s Paradise? Just to calm myself down. [Pre-Chorus – same rhythmic motif, slight drum emphasis] I’ve been searching for years, Searching since day one, Searching across the oceans, Searching over continents. [Chorus – insistent repetition, almost chanted voice] Where are the answers? Who’s got the answers? Where are the answers To my questions? [Bridge – light rupture, cold keyboards, spoken voice, psychological tension] There are tools, high-tech treasures, They call them smart, I call them artificial. There are politicians, sharp with their lines, Always a simple answer For my complicated questions. I never asked them for anything, Those twisted stand-ins. [Pre-Chorus – hammered rhythm, sharp diction] Sanctions when I slip, Injunctions when I work, Convictions wherever I go, Declarations in the heat of battle. [Final Chorus – maximum intensity without speeding up, strained voice] Where are the answers? Who’s got the answers? Where are the answers To my questions? [Fade Outro – gradual stripping back, drums fade, bass then voice alone] Behind the door of mystery, Under the port of wonders, Where they tucked away The statue of our liberty. In the depths Of my desires, In the star-lit sky Of my mind, In the hearts of children, In the pages of the notebook. Astrosphere, (Astrosphere). Astrosphere, (Astrosphere). [End – hard silence]
