[Verse 1] Dust on the velvet seats Marquee letters half burned out Clara Bow in the dark appears You can almost hear her shout Painted eyes, coal-black brows Words on cards between the scenes Valentino takes a bow They’re remnants of those bygone screens [Chorus] Ghosts of the silver frame Floating in the flickering light, then fade Every one a household name In the roles that they once played We still watch them in the quiet Grain and scratches, soft and strange They taught the future how to sparkle Ghosts of the silver frame [Verse 2] Harold Lloyd hangs from a clock While the trains come crashing fast Keaton stays straight faced As the chaos hurtles past Houses fall and canes spin high Chaplin takes his bow in grace From The Gold Rush to The Kid Laughs were given in this place [Chorus] Ghosts of the silver frame Floating in the flickering light, then fade Every one a household name In the roles that they once played We still watch them in the quiet Grain and scratches, soft and strange They taught the future how to sparkle Ghosts of the silver frame [Bridge] In the dark, a shadow creeps— Nosferatu haunts the wall While Lon Chaney weeps beneath The mask in The Phantom of the Opera’s call Greta Garbo turns her gaze away Yet it lingers in the flame Louise Brooks cuts the frame In Pandora’s Box’s name (Ghosts of the silver frame) Ah-ah-aah-ah-aah (Ghosts of the silver frame) Ah-ah-aah-ah-aah (Ghosts of the silver frame) Ah-ah-aah-ah-aah aah [Prechorus] From Safety Last’s Great heights To the gears of Metropolis Worlds were built in black and white Though they soon would be eclipsed [Chorus] Ghosts of the silver frame Floating in the flickering light, then fade Every one a household name In the roles that they once played We still watch them in the quiet Grain and scratches, soft and strange They taught the future how to sparkle Ghosts of the silver frame [Bridge 2] We still watch The Jazz Singer start Where the silence slipped away But their echoes haunt the dark In the reels that still replay [Chorus] Ghosts of the silver frame Floating in the flickering light, then fade Every one a household name In the roles that they once played We still watch them in the quiet Grain and scratches, soft and strange They taught the future how to sparkle Ghosts of the silver frame [Chorus] Ghosts of the silver frame Floating in the flickering light, then fade Every one a household name In the roles that they once played Though the talkies stole the air And the silence slipped from fame Every star that burns today Owes those ghosts their spark and name (Ghosts of the silver frame) Ah-ah-aah-ah-aah (Ghosts of the silver frame) Ah-ah-aah-ah-aah (Ghosts of the silver frame) Ah-ah-aah-ah-aah Ghosts of the silver frame
