[Verse 1] Mr Skiffington in a black tailcoat Checks the score with a careful toe Dust on the page, and a cracked gold ring He hums the part like a dare to sing He bows once low to the empty chair Like someone famous might answer there Then he clears his throat, says, "Here I go" And the first note lands like a dropped bouquet [Pre-Chorus] He counts the beat on his cuff One-two-three, and then enough The room leans in, all eyes on him As the strings begin to shimmer thin [Chorus] Skiffington at dawn Play it till it's gone Skiffington at dawn Make that old hall sing Skiffington at dawn Take the fear along Skiffington at dawn And let the brass ring [Verse 2] He misses once, then grins at the air Taps his shoe like he doesn't care A page turns soft, the rafters glow And every little mistake says "go" He lifts that line like a silver tray Spills it out in a brighter way Even the dust in the corner sways When Mr Skiffington steals the phrase [Pre-Chorus] He counts the beat on his cuff One-two-three, and then enough The room leans in, all eyes on him As the strings begin to shimmer thin [Chorus] Skiffington at dawn Play it till it's gone Skiffington at dawn Make that old hall sing Skiffington at dawn Take the fear along Skiffington at dawn And let the brass ring [Bridge] [Half-time, strings swell] He laughs at the end of the run Like he just outran the sun One last breath, one last climb Then he lands it right on time [Chorus] Skiffington at dawn Play it till it's gone Skiffington at dawn Make that old hall sing Skiffington at dawn Take the fear along Skiffington at dawn And let the brass ring [Outro] Mr Skiffington takes his bow The quiet's loud as a thundercloud He folds the score, smooths his sleeve And leaves the room believing him
