Ladies and gentlemen
From Vienna to Miami
From the palace to the party
They call him
Disco Machiavelli

Not a prince
Not a saint
Just trouble in a velvet jacket

He walks in late with a golden cane
White silk shirt and a champagne stain
Everybody knows but nobody tells
He buys bad luck and sells it well

Midnight phone no caller ID
Three black cars on a one-way street
He says “my dear don’t follow the rules”
Then disappears by the swimming pool

He’s got the city on a string
He makes the mirror wanna sing
Too much charm too much heat
Dancing like a scandal in the street

Disco Machiavelli
Oh-oh he’s ready
Heart so heavy
But the beat so steady

Disco Machiavelli
Ciao baby ciao
Everybody wants him
Nobody knows how

Machiavelli
Machiavelli
Nicht so schnell mein Freund

She met him once at the Hotel Noir
Red wine smile and a stolen car
He said “love is politics darling you’ll see”
Then left her name on the balcony

Velvet gloves dangerous plans
Kissing rings on invisible hands
He don’t dance he negotiates
With the DJ and the city gates

He’s got the night under control
Silver shoes and a borrowed soul
Too much style too much speed
Living like the headline of the week

Disco Machiavelli
Oh-oh he’s ready
Heart so heavy
But the beat so steady

Disco Machiavelli
Ciao baby ciao
Everybody wants him
Nobody knows how

Signorina
Listen carefully
Power is a dance floor
And everybody pays entry

He said it with a smile
Then he vanished in the bassline

Machiavelli
Machiavelli
Dance with the devil
But dress like heaven

Machiavelli
Machiavelli
Too much drama
Too much leather

Disco Machiavelli
Oh-oh he’s ready
Heart so heavy
But the beat so steady

Disco Machiavelli
Ciao baby ciao
Everybody wants him
Nobody knows how

Disco Machiavelli
Oh-oh he’s ready
Velvet panic
Television confetti

Disco Machiavelli
Ciao baby ciao
He was here for a minute
He’s a legend now

From Vienna to Miami
From the palace to the party

Disco Machiavelli

Ciao baby ciao

You call at two I miss by one
Two small signals come undone
Your name glows blue across my phone
I read it twice then walk back home
A simple word arrives too late
A second chance meets a closing gate
We keep our pride on separate lines
Then blame bad luck for broken signs

One step left one step right
Same small spark on different nights
Say it plain cut through noise
Give this feeling back its voice

Crossed wires crossed wires
Every message feeds the fire
You say stay I hear goodbye
We lose truth between reply
Crossed wires crossed wires
No more guessing no more liars
Call me now I will be clear
What I want is having you here

Your friends say wait mine say move
None of them can choose our truth
We trade three dots then let them fade
A tiny war that we both made
I know your habits you know mine
How we turn care to warning signs
So drop that script forget who wins
Let one good sentence pull us back again

One step left one step right
Same small spark on different nights
Say it plain cut through noise
Give this feeling back its voice

Crossed wires crossed wires
Every message feeds the fire
You say stay I hear goodbye
We lose truth between reply
Crossed wires crossed wires
No more guessing no more liars
Call me now I will be clear
What I want is having you here

No coded phrase no careful pose
Say what hurts and what still grows
I can take an honest line
If you can take this heart of mine

Crossed wires crossed wires
Now we cut across that fire
You say stay I hear it right
We choose us and end this fight
Crossed wires crossed wires
No more guessing no more liars
Call me now I will be clear
What I want is having you here

I left at seventeen before the bread was warm
took the blue suitcase nobody claimed
Mother stood polishing the same clean glass
Dad read the paper without turning a page

There was a woman’s name behind the pantry clock
written twice then crossed with a kitchen knife
I asked who she was
They asked why I was still awake

Huh

They said “You’ll understand when you’re older”
So I got older somewhere else

I was gone before the kettle sang
gone before they fixed their tale
Let them blame my age my temper
let them blame the morning train

I was gone gone gone—
they can call it running if they like
I didn’t leave because they hated me
I left because they knew me wrong

Years later a stranger stopped me near the docks
said “You walk exactly like she did”
I laughed and asked “Who?”
She looked at me as though I’d made a joke

Then she handed me a photograph:
my father younger one hand out of frame
and a girl with my uneven teeth
wearing the blue suitcase name tag

Huh Small world
Terrible handwriting

She said “Your mother tried her best”
I said “Which one?”

I was gone before the kettle sang
gone before they fixed their tale
Let them blame my age my temper
let them blame the morning train

I was gone gone gone—
they can call it running if they like
I didn’t leave because they hated me
I left because they knew me wrong

Maybe I was kept
Maybe I was traded
Maybe love gets very polite
when the truth is complicated

I never asked again

That keeps them nervous

I was gone before the kettle sang
gone before they fixed their tale
Let them polish every answer
I know where the story fails

I was gone gone gone—
huh they still insist I’m wild
I didn’t leave because I hated them
I left as someone else’s child

I found it in a Sunday ad
Between a sofa and a wedding band
“Barely used no questions asked”
The seller wore a borrowed name

He said it worked on jealous hearts
On hotel clerks and parking guards
I paid in cash he wished me luck
Then vanished before the light changed

I practiced every detail
The hour the street the rain
But truth has lousy manners
It keeps interrupting names

I bought a secondhand alibi
Cheap enough to fit my life
It worked until you asked me twice
Now every version sounds like mine

I bought a secondhand alibi
With someone else’s reasons inside
The story held the timing died
Now every version sounds like mine

I said the train was running late
You knew that line from ’98
I blamed a man I’d never met
You said “At least invent him well”

I moved the evening half an hour
Changed the bar replaced the car
By then the lie had better shoes
And more ambition than the truth

I gave it dates and weather
A witness and a scar
You watched me build the ceiling
Then asked where the foundations are

I bought a secondhand alibi
Cheap enough to fit my life
It worked until you asked me twice
Now every version sounds like mine

I bought a secondhand alibi
With someone else’s reasons inside
The story held the timing died
Now every version sounds like mine

Mine on Monday
Mine by five
Mine when I need
Someone else to survive

The seller called at 2:13
Said “That excuse belongs to me”
I told him he could have it back
He laughed and said “You made it yours”

You poured your drink into the sink
Not angry almost entertained
You said “The worst part isn’t this
It’s how rehearsed you look in pain”

So here’s the part I didn’t buy
No clever date no useful guy
I stayed because I liked the risk
I left because you noticed it

No missing train no broken phone
No nameless friend to take the blame
I wanted two incompatible things
And called confusion by your name

I bought a secondhand alibi
Cheap enough to fit my life
It worked until you asked me why
Now every version sounds like mine

I bought a secondhand alibi
But guilt was never in the price
Keep the story keep the night
Every version sounds like mine

The truth was sitting in the car
Patient as an unpaid fare
I opened up the passenger door
It said “You took your time”

You gave me praise with borrowed words
A polished smile for every turn
A front-row seat a painted name
A perfect pose a hollow game
I learned the rules I played my part
Held every cue against my heart
Then one small crack became a door
I do not need that stage anymore

Keep your medals keep your throne
I can build a life my own

Paper crown let it fall
It was never worth it all
Every cheer became a chain
Every win required my name
Paper crown hit the ground
Hear that honest simple sound
I step out I stand tall
You can keep your paper crown

You sold applause as if it cared
Counted every room I shared
Made my value fit a chart
Turned a person to a part
I know success can still be kind
When I decide what counts as mine
No public score no velvet rope
Can own my nerve or price my hope

Keep your medals keep your throne
I can build a life my own

Paper crown let it fall
It was never worth it all
Every cheer became a chain
Every win required my name
Paper crown hit the ground
Hear that honest simple sound
I step out I stand tall
You can keep your paper crown

I do not need a room to rise
I do not need their measured eyes
My worth survives without a vote
That is the line I choose to hold

Paper crown let it fall
It was never worth it all
Every cheer became a chain
Every win required my name
Paper crown hit the ground
Hear that honest simple sound
I step out I stand tall
You can keep your paper crown

I kept each feeling under glass
A private rule from years gone past
You saw the lock you did not push
You gave me room to choose enough

Now every reason feels too old
I want a life I do not hold
One honest move one steady start
A simple route from heart to heart

Open circuit let it run
No more hiding what we want
Every signal coming clear
I choose trust I choose you here
Open circuit no disguise
Read the answer from my eyes
We can let connection start
One direct route heart to heart

You kept your plans behind a grin
Afraid that I would not step near
But caution only served the past
We have a chance to make this last

Now every reason feels too old
We want a life we do not hold
One honest move one steady start
A simple route from heart to heart

Open circuit let it run
No more hiding what we want
Every signal coming clear
I choose trust I choose you here
Open circuit no disguise
Read the answer from my eyes
We can let connection start
One direct route heart to heart

No locked reply no coded test
We say the need and give our best
If fear returns we name it fast
Then choose what matters choose what lasts

Open circuit let it run
No more hiding what we want
Every signal coming clear
I choose trust I choose you here
Open circuit no disguise
Read the answer from my eyes
We can let connection start
One direct route heart to heart

Packed my bags heading out tonight
City sights yeah they feel so bright
Got a feeling it's time to run
Leaving the past I'm ready for fun

Every step feels like a brand new start
Finding freedom that's where I'll find my heart

Hey I'm alive feel the rhythm rise
Dancing through the streets watch the good times fly
Letting go of what held me back
Now I'm on my way never looking back

Met some faces shared a laugh or two
Every moment feels like something new
With the music I can finally breathe
This is my time got so much to achieve

And when the night falls I won’t be alone
With the stars shining I've found my home

[Final Chorus]
Hey I'm alive feel the rhythm rise
Dancing through the streets watch the good times fly
Letting go of what held me back
Now I'm on my way never looking back

I used to leave the light on by the door
Kept your coffee warm like I had before
But you were always somewhere else in your mind

Left me talking to a ghost wasting my time
Folded all your lies like they were clean clothes

Put 'em in a drawer that's how this thing goes
I cried in the shower so you wouldn't hear
Now I don't even need to — baby I'm clear

I gave you rivers you gave me drought
Spent so long wondering what love's about
But the woman in the mirror finally spoke
Said "baby you're the fire — he was just smoke"

I'm not broken I'm just done
(yeah yeah)
I was the moon you were blocking my sun
(mmh)

You thought leaving me would make me fall apart
(uh uh)
Boy you left — but you didn't take my heart
No you didn't take my heart

(ohhh)

I see you now when you walk through the room
Different energy like you shed the gloom
I won't pretend that I don't feel the weight
Of every choice I made a little too late
(background whisper: "too late… too late…")
You were patient like a Sunday in June
I was reckless chased a different tune
And now I'm standing here on the outside damn
Watching you become everything you planned

She gave me rivers I gave her drought
Now I'm the one standing here in doubt
And the man in the mirror finally broke
Said "she was the fire — you were just smoke"

I'm not broken I'm just done
(let it go let it go)
I was the moon you were blocking my sun
(mmh yeah)
You thought leaving me would make me fall apart
(never that)
Boy you left — but you didn't take my heart
You didn't take my heart
(no no no…)

There were nights I almost called
(almost…)
Fingers on your name then I'd stall
(stall…)
But every time I stopped myself I grew
(grew…)

Into someone I love more than I loved you
(bass begins to swell)
More than I loved you
(mmh)
More — than — I — loved — you

(yeah)

I'm not broken I'm just new
(just new just new)
Everything I lost was just a clue
(clue ohhh)
You thought leaving me would dim my light
(can't dim this)
Boy you left —
(he left)
And baby I ignite
(I ignite I ignite)
I ig-nite
(ohhhh)
Mmmmh…
(still standing…)
Still standing

Yeah
Almost beautiful

You left your shadow
On the passenger side
Like a quiet ending
At a red street light

I kept the moment
But I lost the weight
Of waiting for something
That was already late

Now days feel lighter
When the hope runs out
I hear my own voice
A little less loud

And I don’t hate you
That takes too much room
I just stopped turning
The sky into you

Maybe we were young
Maybe we were tired
Maybe love got lost
Somewhere in the wires

I don’t need a reason
I don’t need a sign
I just need tonight
To feel like mine

It was almost beautiful
Almost good enough
Almost like a movie
Almost like love

We were almost honest
Almost made it through
Almost had forever
Then forever moved

And I’m not broken
I’m just new
It was almost beautiful
Losing you

Oh-oh
Almost beautiful
Oh-oh
Almost beautiful

I saw your name
On a screen last night
It didn’t hurt me
Like I thought it might

Just a small old feeling
Passing through
Like a song from a car
That never stops for you

I walked for hours
Under changing signs
No big confession
No perfect line

Just a quiet freedom
I never planned
Like letting go
Without using my hands

Maybe we were close
Maybe we were blind
Maybe love looks better
From the other side

I don’t need an answer
I don’t need a fight
I just need my heart
To sleep tonight

It was almost beautiful
Almost good enough
Almost like a movie
Almost like love

We were almost honest
Almost made it through
Almost had forever
Then forever moved

And I’m not broken
I’m just new
It was almost beautiful
Losing you

I won’t call it wasted
I won’t call it wrong
Some people are chapters
That read too long

I won’t make you guilty
I won’t make me small
We were almost something
And that’s something after all

Almost beautiful
Almost true
Almost everything
I wanted with you

Almost beautiful
Almost gone
I can still remember
But I can move on

It was almost beautiful
Almost good enough
Almost like a movie
Almost like love

We were almost honest
Almost made it through
Almost had forever
Then forever moved

And I’m not broken
I’m just new
It was almost beautiful
Losing you

Oh-oh
Almost beautiful
Oh-oh
Almost beautiful

Mm
Almost beautiful
Losing you

Ow
Mm
Don’t act cheap with my heart

You got style
But you talk too much
You got taste
But you rush too much

I don’t need
A golden key
I just need
You next to me

No long speech
No big parade
Just that look
That you can’t fake

You say maybe
I say no
Pick a side
Or let me go

I’m not hard to love
I’m hard to fool
You play so sweet
But I know you

If you want my time
Spend it right
Don’t bring drama
To my Friday night

Call me expensive
Call me too much
Call me whenever
You need real love

Call me electric
Call me your type
Call me before you
Change your mind

You don’t need money
You need attention
I don’t want diamonds
I want intention

Call me expensive
Baby that’s fine
Cheap talk never
Gets my time

You wear cool
Like a second skin
But I see nerves
When I walk in

You try smooth
I try honest
You want games
I want promise

Don’t send flowers
Send the truth
I got better
Things to do

You say maybe
I say please
Don’t waste rhythm
On your knees

I’m not hard to love
I’m hard to fool
You play so sweet
But I know you

If you want my time
Spend it right
Don’t bring drama
To my Friday night

Call me expensive
Call me too much
Call me whenever
You need real love

Call me electric
Call me your type
Call me before you
Change your mind

You don’t need money
You need attention
I don’t want diamonds
I want intention

Call me expensive
Baby that’s fine
Cheap talk never
Gets my time

Less conversation
More dedication
Less explanation
More demonstration

I don’t need perfect
I don’t need rich
I need somebody
Who knows what this is

Say it cleaner
Stand up straighter
Love me now
Or miss me later

Call me expensive
Call me too much
Call me whenever
You need real love

Call me electric
Call me your type
Call me before you
Change your mind

You don’t need money
You need attention
I don’t want diamonds
I want intention

Call me expensive
Baby that’s fine
Cheap talk never
Gets my time

Ow
Don’t act cheap with my heart
Call me expensive
That’s a good start

Walking in I feel the shift
Confidence it’s my gift
No more waiting for a sign
I’m my own and I feel fine

Every glance they see the change
A subtle glow I rearrange
Moving through like I own the space
This is my time I’ll set the pace

I’m not here for your approval
Shining bright I’m my own fuel
Step aside feel the vibe let it sway
I’m alive in this power play

No more aftertone of what could be
I’m the story I’m the key
With each beat I redefine
Crafting moments I’m aligned

Every glance they see the change
A subtle glow I rearrange
Moving through like I own the space
This is my time I’ll set the pace

I’m not here for your approval
Shining bright I’m my own fuel
Step aside feel the vibe let it sway
I’m alive in this power play

Yeah I walk in cool no script no stunt
Clean cut low talk I don’t need the front
Hands in the pocket watch the room bend
Every small doubt I had I just left to end
Fresh on my feet let the floorboards talk
No borrowed shine I built my own walk
Look at me now no mask no delay
I move with the groove then I move out the way

Catch the rhythm let it flow
This is where I’ll let it show
No more doubt just clarity
This is my reality

I’m not here for your approval
Shining bright I’m my own fuel
Step aside feel the vibe let it sway
I’m alive in this power play

Got my feet up sun on my face
Life is a ride let’s pick up the pace
With a strum of the guitar the world feels right
Let’s dance on the clouds from morning till night

LAUGHING LOUD we chase the sun
Rolling on waves oh we’re gonna have fun!
With a trombone blast we’re breaking the rules
Together we shine just a couple of fools!

Running through fields with laughter in tow
A violin sings as we steal the show
Time is a game we play it so bright
With every note played we’re taking flight

LAUGHING LOUD we chase the sun
Rolling on waves oh we’re gonna have fun!
With a trombone blast we’re breaking the rules
Together we shine just a couple of fools!

LAUGHING LOUD we chase the sun
Rolling on waves oh we’re gonna have fun!
With a trombone blast we’re breaking the rules
Together we shine just a couple of fools!

I hear your name
Under the noise
A distant flame
A broken voice

We were young in a room full of strangers
Dancing close to a feeling we knew
Every light had a warning inside it
Every road was leading back to you

I kept the photos but lost the meaning
Kept the song but forgot the sound
Now I wake with a heart full of questions
And a silence I can’t turn down

Tell me are you somewhere
Under the same sky?
Do you ever look back
When the night drives by?

I have been running
But I don’t know what from
I have been searching
For the place we were one

Where did we go?
When the love became a shadow
I still feel you in the afterglow
But I can’t follow

Where did we go?
We were louder than tomorrow
Now I’m calling through the empty road
Just to find you

Where did we go?
Where did we go?
Where did we go?
I’m still trying to find you

Find you
Find you
I’m still trying to find you

Where did we go?
Where did we go?

There are nights when the city feels weightless
Like the streets are floating away
I see your face in the glass of a window
Then it fades before I can say

I was wrong I was scared I was human
I was holding a storm in my hands
You were love you were home you were shelter
I was too late to understand

Tell me are you somewhere
Under the same sky?
Do you ever hear me
When the waves rise high?

I have been running
But I don’t know what from
I have been searching
For the place we were one

Where did we go?
When the love became a shadow
I still feel you in the afterglow
But I can’t follow

Where did we go?
We were louder than tomorrow
Now I’m calling through the empty road
Just to find you

Where did we go?
Where did we go?
Where did we go?
I’m still trying to find you

Maybe we were not lost
Maybe we were changing
Maybe every goodbye
Has another name

If you hear me tonight
Through the static and rain
Leave a light in the dark
I would find you again

Where did we go?
When the love became a shadow
I still feel you in the afterglow
But I can’t follow

Where did we go?
We were louder than tomorrow
Now I’m calling through the empty road
Just to find you

Where did we go?
Where did we go?
Where did we go?
I’m still trying to find you

I hear your name
Under the noise
A distant flame
A broken voice

Achtung
Herr Casino
Kaiser Tempo
No love story
No apology
Nur Rhythmus

He came in sharp
Black coat white face
Gold ring no name

One step two guards
Red wine fast cars
Cold smile big talk
Slow hands hard walk

Everybody said
Who is this man?
Nobody moved
Nobody ran

He smiled like a banker
Danced like a thief
Talked like a prince
With a knife in his sleeve

Kaiser Tempo
King of the room
Too much money
Not enough truth

Clickclick
Camera flash
Ticktick
Count the cash

Big talk
Small town
Lights up
Hands down

He don’t sing
He declares
He don’t love
He compares

Kaiser Tempo
Kaiser Tempo
He says yes
When the world says no

Kaiser Tempo
Kaiser Tempo
Velvet shoes
And a radio soul

Ohoh
Zu spät mein Freund
Ohoh
He never goes home

Kaiser Tempo
Kaiser Tempo
Everybody knows
But nobody knows

Hotel lobby
Three am
Same old story
New problem

Silver lighter
Foreign smoke
He tells the truth
Like it’s a joke

Listen darling
Life is a game
Change the rules
Then change your name

He signs the bill
With a fountain pen
Leaves no number
Comes back again

One hand waving
One hand cold
Too young to stop
Too rich to grow old

Clickclick
Camera flash
Ticktick
Count the cash

Big talk
Small town
Lights up
Hands down

He don’t run
He arrives
He don’t sleep
He survives

Kaiser Tempo
Kaiser Tempo
He says yes
When the world says no

Kaiser Tempo
Kaiser Tempo
Velvet shoes
And a radio soul

Ohoh
Zu spät mein Freund
Ohoh
He never goes home

Kaiser Tempo
Kaiser Tempo
Everybody knows
But nobody knows

In Vienna
They called him trouble

In Paris
They called him style

In Milan
They called him expensive

In Berlin
They just smiled

He said
Gentlemen
You can buy the ticket
But you cannot buy the entrance

Then the bass came in

Tempo
Kaiser
Tempo
Kaiser

No crown
No throne
Just a telephone

No heart
No fear
Just a mirror near

Tempo
Kaiser
Tempo
Kaiser

Talk fast
Walk slow
Never let the people know

Kaiser Tempo
Kaiser Tempo
He says yes
When the world says no

Kaiser Tempo
Kaiser Tempo
Velvet shoes
And a radio soul

Ohoh
Zu spät mein Freund
Ohoh
He never goes home

Kaiser Tempo
Kaiser Tempo
Everybody knows
But nobody knows

Achtung
The bill is paid
The room is empty
Kaiser Tempo
Has left the building

I saw your name in the window light
spelled out backwards on a passing bus
city heat on a borrowed bike
and a little bit of trouble looking back at us

You had a laugh like a camera flash
gone too soon but it burned the room
I had a heart with a broken latch
swinging open to a silver moon

We don't need forever to feel electric
just a little voltage under the skin
You move like velvet circuits
turning all my lonely lights on again
If the night tries to sell us silence
we'll answer with a melody and grin
You move like velvet circuits
and I keep coming back to begin

Coffee cold on a rooftop stair
bassline leaking from a taxi door
You tied a ribbon in your midnight hair
said the future isn't hungry anymore

I was counting every exit sign
making maps out of ways to leave
Then you put your hand inside of mine
like a rhythm that remembered me

We don't need forever to feel electric
just a little voltage under the skin
You move like velvet circuits
turning all my lonely lights on again
If the night tries to sell us silence
we'll answer with a melody and grin
You move like velvet circuits
and I keep coming back to begin

All my static turns to motion
all my caution learns to shine
There's a pulse beneath the pavement
keeping perfect crooked time

We don't need forever to feel electric
just a little voltage under the skin
You move like velvet circuits
turning all my lonely lights on again
If the night tries to sell us silence
we'll answer with a melody and grin
You move like velvet circuits
and I keep coming back to begin

Velvet circuits in the crosswalk glow
Velvet circuits and the city knows
Velvet circuits when the morning spins
I keep coming back to begin

At seven the glass doors learn the street by name
sale tags turn slowly in the conditioned air
someone leaves a blue scarf folded out of place
and the mirror keeps pretending not to stare

A clerk counts coins like small weather
one by one into a paper tray
the fitting rooms exhale together
as the weekday loosens its display

Keep the low lamps on
let the room breathe out
there is music in the ordinary
when the hurry thins around
Soft returns quiet shelves
hands on fabric nothing else
after seven after seven
we move lightly through ourselves

Perfume cards sleep beside the counter
shoes line up like they know the floor
outside taxis change their colors
inside no one needs to want more

A coat on a hanger turns human
for a second in the corner light
I almost ask it where it's going
then I let it keep the night

Keep the low lamps on
let the room breathe out
there is music in the ordinary
when the hurry thins around
Soft returns quiet shelves
hands on fabric nothing else
after seven after seven
we move lightly through ourselves

Not every song should chase the ceiling
not every room should ask for rain
some evenings only need a rhythm
folded neatly with a name

Keep the low lamps on
let the room breathe out
there is music in the ordinary
when the hurry thins around
Soft returns quiet shelves
hands on fabric nothing else
after seven after seven
we move lightly through ourselves

The last receipt curls by the drawer
one small moon on the floor
after seven after seven
nothing asks to be more

You filed my name under maybe
Kept one hand near delete

Your sentences came pre-approved
Every promise wore a barcode
I read the terms across your face
A firm refusal dressed as grace

You kept my number off the page
Then called it love at your own rate
I learned the cost of being near
A private charge renewed each year

Your figures never could align
You changed the units every time
You took the sum removed the source
Then called the damage normal loss

Call me your margin of error
The number you round to zero
You kept me close to the ledger
But never part of the total

Call me your margin of error
Your almost your after your spare
I won’t be filed under maybe
I won’t be useful then erased

You wore affection like a pass
Valid until somebody asked
My place was marked with pencil lead
Easy to alter hard to read

You built a room from access codes
The door unlocked when you chose
I left the key beside your name
No final speech no claim to blame

Your figures never could align
You changed the units every time
You took the sum removed the source
Then called the damage normal loss

Call me your margin of error
The number you round to zero
You kept me close to the ledger
But never part of the total

Call me your margin of error
Your almost your after your spare
I won’t be filed under maybe
I won’t be useful then erased

I was never hard to measure
You preferred uncertain scales
A person turned to useful data
A pulse reduced to monthly sales

Now every digit has an owner
Every loss can state its cause
You can keep your perfect record
I have left your private laws

Call me your margin of error
The number you rounded to zero
You kept me close to the ledger
But never part of the total

Call me your margin of error
The flaw that refused to behave
Cross out the file marked as maybe
I won’t be useful then erased

Delete my name from your system
The error has learned its own weight

I told you enough to calm your doubt
Left every harder detail out
Called it mercy called it care
But truth with holes is still unfair
You read my face before my words
Knew every answer had been curved
I kept the facts at arm's length
Then watched that distance take our strength

I cannot ask for trust again
Without admitting where I bent

I was halfway honest
That means halfway gone
I gave you selected pieces
Then asked you to hold on
I was halfway honest
You deserved the whole
No more careful versions
No more edited soul

I made excuses sound so clean
Kept my fault behind a screen
Said I wanted us to heal
While I hid what you could feel
You never asked for perfect proof
Only one complete hard truth
So here it is without defense
I broke our bond with half events

I cannot ask for trust again
Without admitting where I bent

I was halfway honest
That means halfway gone
I gave you selected pieces
Then asked you to hold on
I was halfway honest
You deserved the whole
No more careful versions
No more edited soul

If you leave I understand
If you stay I change my stand
Either way this much is true
I will not hide myself from you

I was halfway honest
That means halfway gone
I gave you selected pieces
Then asked you to hold on
I was halfway honest
You deserved the whole
Now you get the full truth
No more edited soul

Thoughts collide as I reflect
Searching for what I can't connect
Every chord brings back your smile
But it's just an empty aisle

Time keeps moving yet I'm here
Holding on to what was dear
Words unspoken cloud my view
Moments lost but still feel you

Hey can you hear me?
I'm lost in the sound
Gripping tight can't let go
Of the warmth of you
Will I find my way through?

Every twist brings back your name
Searching for a spark to reclaim
But I breathe I choose to dance
Finding strength in every chance

Letting go of what we've known
Building paths where love has grown
Every heartbeat every sound
New stories waiting to be found

Hey can you hear me?
I'm lost in the sound
Gripping tight can't let go
Of the warmth of you
Will I find my way through?

You parked across the hydrant
Like the law had gone to lunch
Brought six supermarket daisies
Held together with a rubber band

Said “I’ve been doing lots of thinking”
With the posture of a judge
Then set one careful “sorry”
On my counter still unopened

You pressed your palm against your chest
Like cameras filled the hall
I asked for one clean answer
You gave the director’s cut

Keep the receipt sweetheart
This apology runs small
It pinches where the truth should fit
And hangs loose everywhere else

Keep the receipt sweetheart
Take the whole display with you
You brought me something called “I’m sorry”
But the tag says “almost true”

Almost true almost true
Look at you improving

You said your phone had lost its manners
Your watch was running scared
Your friends had formed a committee
And voted you unprepared

Your mother took the witness stand
Your therapist was quoted
I asked “Did you sleep with her?”
You said “The wording feels loaded”

You lowered your voice an octave
That trick you save for court
I asked where you were Tuesday
You gave the weather report

Keep the receipt sweetheart
This apology runs small
It pinches where the truth should fit
And hangs loose everywhere else

Keep the receipt sweetheart
Take the whole display with you
You brought me something called “I’m sorry”
But the tag says “almost true”

No don’t kneel; the floor is clean
Don’t swear on anybody’s grave
Skip the trembling lower lip
You practiced beside the valet

I’m just taking inventory:
One key two names three hotel pens
You may keep the supermarket daisies
They’ve heard the whole defense

Keep the receipt sweetheart
This apology runs small
It pinches where the truth should fit
And hangs loose everywhere else

Keep the receipt sweetheart
Take your grand performance too
You brought me something called “I’m sorry”
But the tag says “almost true”

Almost true almost true
Look at you improving

“Need a bag?”
“No he came with one”