[Intro – Ceramic plate clinking, muted electric guitar, offbeat bass groove, tight drums enter] [Verse 1 – MALE RAPPER ONLY: Dry low baritone, pure rhythmic SPOKEN RAP from the first syllable, sharp articulation, no melodic singing] Top shelf above the kitchen fan A cardboard box in our mother's hand "FOR CHRISTMAS" written twice across the lid Six blue swallows, same as when we were kids We had the whole family round most every Wednesday Nobody opened that box anyway Mum said, "Not tonight, they're far too good" Then passed us the chipped ones like she always would We're clearing out the kitchen, the buyers come at ten My sister holds the smallest plate and turns it round again There's a mark beneath the glaze where they missed a little spot She says, "All those years of saving. She never used the lot." [Refrain 1 – FEMALE VOCALIST ONLY: Soft clear melodic singing, stripped bass and toms, intimate delivery] Take the good plates down We're here. That's the reason. [One beat of complete silence] If one breaks, let it break We can clean it up this evening [Instrumental – Heavy syncopated guitar riff, distorted bass, tight drums] [Verse 2 – MALE RAPPER ONLY: Fast, precise rhythmic rap, natural phrasing, never melodic] The dining table's listed with a photograph online My sister says the legs are bent, I tell her they're just fine There's takeaway on the windowsill, a bottle of cheap red And half the stuff we're keeping is stuff we should've thrown instead She unwraps the blue porcelain from newspapers gone yellow I tell her, "Take it easy!" She says, "You sound just like our mother." Then one slips from her fingers, hits the table with a crack We stare at it for seconds, waiting for the years to come back Then she laughs, and I start laughing, and we sit down on the floor Eating noodles off the finest plates we never used before Didn't say that Mum would love it, we don't know if that's the truth But we talked until eleven, like we hadn't since our youth [Refrain 2 – FEMALE VOCALIST ONLY: Warm low-register melodic singing, stronger drums, subtle guitar harmonies] Take the good plates down We're here. That's the reason. [One beat of complete silence] If one breaks, let it break We can clean it up this evening [Instrumental – Distorted guitar riff, unexpected rhythmic stops, melodic bass fills] [Bridge – Minimal instruments, intimate exchange between two distinct voices] [MALE – Quiet spoken rhythmic rap] They're only plates. [FEMALE – Soft melodic voice] I know. [MALE – Spoken rap] I thought I heard her say, "Put them back." [FEMALE – Gentle melodic singing] Me too... [MALE – Rhythmic rap, drums beginning to build] So what do we do with everything We kept behind the glass? The holidays that never came The years that went too fast? [FEMALE – Emotional melodic singing, rising into a powerful high note] We don't need a reason We don't need to wait... [Instrumental Breakdown – Heavy half-time guitars, pounding live drums, thick bass, no vocals] [Final Refrain – FEMALE VOCALIST ONLY: Begins almost whispered, then grows into soaring, gritty melodic rock singing, full band enters] Take the good plates down... We're here. That's the reason. [Sudden full-band impact] Let the blue birds circle us For an ordinary evening [FEMALE – Powerful sustained melodic note] We're here... We're still here... [Outro – Heavy instruments fade, the original muted guitar returns] [MALE – Quiet spoken voice] "Is that one cracked?" [FEMALE – Soft, almost amused voice] "Yeah." [MALE – Small laugh] "Pass it here." [End – Gentle ceramic clink, silence]
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