[Intro - short, very quiet, solo glass harmonica, female lead hushed and breathy] At the citadel gate Where the old stones breathe Moon on the iron Stars in the teeth [Verse 1 - quiet, hurdy-gurdy drone only, low intimate voice, close-mic] The courtyard wakes when the hour is wrong Black tents bloom where the rain has dried A saint's cracked mask with a mouth like mine They know the name that I kept inside [Pre-Chorus - rising, dulcimer and soft frame drum enter, airy head voice, trembling] Every stall is softly breathing Every price is honey-sweet Every mirror wants me closer Barefoot, burning, in the street [Chorus - medium, restrained, cello swells, glass harmonica shimmer, soft harmony on hook] The market opens when the stars are right They sell the moon in slices, bite by bite Do not pay in breath Do not pay in breath [Verse 2 - sudden drop, only cello and voice, darker, more tempted] A woman with pearls in her eyeless face Shows me a gown made of mourning lace She says it will fit when my pulse runs thin She says all brides are welcomed in [Pre-Chorus - building, toms creep in, musical saw answers the voice, fragile lift] There is honey in the warning There is perfume in the chain There is music in the coffin In your voice it sings my name [Chorus - loud, full drums and choir, strong raw voice] The market opens when the stars are right The market opens when the stars are right Do not pay in breath Only one small breath They pour me sleep from someone else's night And every scale is tipping out of sight Only one small breath Only one small breath [Instrumental Break - very short, no vocals, crooked 3/4 waltz, hurdy-gurdy and music box] [Bridge - very quiet, stripped, heartbeat drum, musical saw and low drone, near-spoken, unpolished] In the blue tent they will crown my hair Then sell my face back for me to wear In the white tent I may kiss the dead In the black tent I may share their bed [Build - crescendo, drums accelerate, whisper rising to full cry] I hold my tongue I hide my hands I never thank them But the dark demands [Break - total silence, a single sharp inhale] [Final Chorus - maximum intensity, everything in, desperate belt, voice cracking, human choir] The market opens when the stars are right The market opens when the stars are right Did I pay in breath? (do not pay in breath) Did I pay in breath? (do not pay in breath) They sell me roses cut from bone-white light I kiss one, and it tastes me, bite by bite I have paid in breath (do not pay in breath) I have paid in breath [Outro - short, sudden drop, voice and faint glass harmonica, barely above a whisper] At the citadel gate Where the old stones breathe I leave with nothing But something leaves with me [End - whispered, then silence] (Do not pay in breath)
