*(Verse 1)* The hall was lit by lantern fire The tables lined in rows The players gathered from the rain With stories no one knows The clocks were wound with careful hands The kings were standing still A thousand voices filled the room Before the first move fell *(Pre-Chorus)* A single pawn moved forward A thousand banners flew *(Chorus)* Checkmate, the voices cried Before the game had turned Checkmate, the candles burned For lessons never learned The kings remained upon their squares The board untouched by time Yet crowds went home with victory songs Before the fourth move line *(Verse 2)* One spoke of stars and ancient fires One spoke of grief and stone One traced the edges of the world One stood and walked alone The pieces waited silently The clocks continued on But every answer raised a flag And every flag was gone *(Pre-Chorus)* A single pawn moved forward The rafters shook above *(Chorus)* Checkmate, the voices cried Before the game had turned Checkmate, the lanterns swayed For questions left unlearned The kings remained upon their squares The board untouched by time Yet crowds went home with victory songs Before the fourth move line *(Bridge)* The years fell softly through the roof The dust lay on the queens The banners rotted in the rain The hall forgot their names The clocks still whispered in the dark Their patient silver sound While somewhere in the empty room Two players still sat down *(Final Chorus)* Checkmate, the echoes sang Though neither side had won Checkmate, the hall grew still The crowd and candles gone The kings remained upon their squares The board beneath the dust And two old players speaking low Still argued out of trust *(Outro)* The rain moved softly through the stones The clocks continued on And somewhere near the seventeenth move The game was only dawn.
