[Intro: Fingerpicked acoustic guitar in minor key, soft tape echo. A cello drone fades in. Distant sound of waves rolling. Celesta plays a fragile three-note motif. Flute drifts like a seabird]. [A whispered] “boy…” [echoes before the first line.] [Verse 1] Boy, you’ve got a heavy frown They’ll tell you where to stand But they’ll push you down Boy, you’ve have ways to turn They’ll offer empty hands But never learn [Pre-Chorus] And I’ve been choking on the night No voice to make it right [Chorus] Oh, I’ve got a fire in my chest And silence on my breath I think its over Oh, there’s a crack beneath my feet The fire pulls at me To make me suffer [Instrumental: Pizzicato strings mimic ticking time, upright bass pulses steady, flute echoes the vocal melody, reversed guitar textures drift like phantom waves.] Verse 2 Boy, you’ve got a way to fight They’ll try to steal your words And dim your light Boy, you’ve got a way to shine They’ll mark your only path And claim it’s mine Pre-Chorus And shadows whisper through the hall But no one hears at all [Chorus] Oh, I’ve got a fire in my chest And silence on my breath I think its over Oh, there’s a crack beneath my feet The fire pulls at me To make me suffer [Extended Instrumental Section: Strings tremolo under a flute solo. Harp glissando cascades. Mellotron choir fades in beneath real choir ]“ahhhhs.” [Percussion heartbeat grows louder]. [Whispered words pan left and right:] “a… fire… in my… chest …” [Verse 3] Boy, you’ve got a way to pretend But they won’t see your wounds Until the end Boy, you’ve got a way to break They’ll take the things you give And call them theirs to take [Pre-Chorus] The quiet aches, the daylight dies A storm is written in the skies [Chorus] Oh, I’ve got a fire in my chest And silence on my breath I think its over Oh, there’s a crack beneath my feet The fire pulls at me To make me suffer [Bridge: Full orchestra swells. Strings weave counterpoint. French horns rise. Timpani heartbeat grows urgent. Soft organ joins, faint but steady. Choir hums low, then harmonizes with the lead. Whispered echoes repeat:] “....A Fire in My Chest…” Walls are thin but no one hears The weight of all these years Beneath the covers I remain Counting every pain [Instrumental Interlude Climax: Harp glissando and celesta sparkle. Mellotron choir merges with real choir. Piccolo trumpet plays a mournful counter-melody. The orchestra swells to a dramatic peak — then cuts suddenly to guitar alone.] [Final Chorus] [Key Change, hymn-like, full choir] Oh, I’ve got a fire in my chest And silence on my breath I think its over Oh, there’s a crack beneath my feet The fire pulls at me To make me suffer [Reprise: Choir softly repeats] “the fire pulls at me… like the summer…”. [Strings swell, flute plays the opening motif, guitar arpeggiates slowly under it all.] [Outro: Guitar slows and fades. Cello sustains one long, mournful note. Celesta repeats the motif once more. A faint splash of water echoes]. [Whispered] “fire… fire…” [drifts away as silence falls.]
