Dust on Royal Banners

Once upon a time we thought

Magic castles protect the innocent

Dragons waiting in the dark

Glass slippers shatter in silent places

Golden apples start to rot

Sleeping beauties just fake their slumbering

Princes hide behind the walls

Wolves at the door are just starving and freezing

They tell us every hero is bound to triumph -

But no one mentions dust on royal banners -

When the curtain falls at night

Truth is heavy...

And yet we all build mansions of paper maché;

We close our eyes to all the shattered ceilings

But a house of cards will fall

Never ending, never ending, never ending

Poisoned kingdoms fade away

Mirrors lying on the walls again

Witches brew a cup of tea

Spinning wheels broken beyond repairing

I have gathered all the lies

Of the fairy tales we used to know

Now they crumble on the floor

Perfect illusions are finally broken

They tell us every hero is bound to triumph -

But no one mentions dust on royal banners -

When the curtain falls at night

Truth is heavy...

-------------

[Time Signature: 17/8]

[Tempo: 100 BPM]

[Vocals: very loud low contralto female lead with expresisve delivery]

[Instrumental Intro: sparse grand piano and upright bass]

[Key: F# Minor]

[F#m] [E] [D] [Bm] [A] [G] [D] [E]

[F#m] [E] [D] [Bm] [C#m] [D] [E] [F#]

[Verse 1: minimalist driving rhythm]

[Key: F# Minor]

[F#m] Once upon a [E] time we [D] thought

[Bm] Magic [A] castles pro[G]tect the [D] inno[E]cent

[F#m] Dragons [E] waiting [D] in the dark

[Bm] Glass slip[C#m]pers shat[D]ter in si[E]lent pla[F#]ces

[Verse 2: active brushed drums and staccato piano]

[Key: F# Minor]

[F#m] Golden apples [E] start to [D] rot

[Bm] Sleeping [A] beauties just [G] fake their [D] slumber[E]ing

[F#m] Princes [E] hide be[D]hind the walls

[Bm] Wolves at [C#m] the door are [D] just star[E]ving and free[F#]zing

[Chorus: dissonant theatrical energy]

[Key: Eb Minor]

[Ebm] They tell us every hero is [Db] bound to triumph -

[Abm] But no one mentions dust on [B] royal banners -

[Db] When the cur[B]tain falls at [Bb] night

[Abm] Truth is hea[Bb]vy...

[Chorus Continued: driving 17/8 jazz groove]

[Key: Eb Minor]

[Ebm] And yet we all build mansions of [Db] paper maché;

[Abm] We close our eyes to all the [B] shattered ceilings

[Db] But a house of [B] cards will [Bb] fall

[Abm] Never [Bb] ending, never [Ebm] ending, never ending

[Instrumental Interlude: returning to sparse piano]

[Key: F# Minor]

[F#m] [E] [D] [Bm] [C#m] [D] [E] [C#]

[Verse 3: syncopated brushed drum groove]

[Key: F# Minor]

[F#m] Poisoned kingdoms [E] fade a[D]way

[Bm] Mirrors [A] lying on [G] the walls [D] a[E]gain

[F#m] Witches [E] brew a [D] cup of tea

[Bm] Spinning [C#m] wheels bro[D]ken be[E]yond repair[F#]ing

[Verse 4: building avant-garde tension]

[Key: F# Minor]

[F#m] I have gathered [E] all the [D] lies

[Bm] Of the [A] fairy [G] tales [D] we used to [E] know

[F#m] Now they [E] crumble [D] on the floor

[Bm] Perfect [C#m] illu[D]sions are [E] finally bro[F#]ken

[Final Chorus: intense spoken-word delivery]

[Key: Eb Minor]

[Ebm] They tell us every hero is [Db] bound to triumph -

[Abm] But no one mentions dust on [B] royal banners -

[Db] When the cur[B]tain falls at [Bb] night

[Abm] Truth is hea[Bb]vy...

[Instrumental Outro: fading acoustic instruments]

[Key: Eb Minor]

[Ebm] [Db] [Abm] [B]

[Db] [B] [Bb] [Ebm]

[Hard Stop]

[End]