The Pedestal

[INTRO – spoken, close | whisper | “mystery / intimate” atmosphere | minimal instruments | Male voice (lead)] There were eight of us… and one bright lighthouse in the room: Charles. [VERSE 1 – narrative | warm, restrained vocal | soft guitar/piano | steady groove | Male voice (lead)] Eight around a table, six in pairs, two on their own, everyone floating on their private tides and tones. And Charles—smooth as clean glass, precision in his calm, kindness like a hot cup you can hold in your palms. With Alba it looked effortless— no sharp edges, no cracks, just: “What do you need?” And when someone’s day fell apart, a line would land—half joke, half dart: “Why don’t you love me like Charles loves Alba?” [PRE-CHORUS 1 – slight lift | subtle tension | firmer vocal | light percussion enters | Male voice (lead)] From the front row, every story shines— when the spotlight hits the right lines. [CHORUS 1 – melodic | clear hook | full drums in | DUET (Male + Female) | soft backing vocals under last line] Male: ’Cause from the front, the theater glows, Female: but behind the curtain wires show. Male: Tired eyes, missing scenes, Female: silent parts you’ve never seen. Both (harmonies): And I… I was stealing what we had watching someone else’s show. Both (unison, hook): A pedestal looks beautiful— but it won’t hold you when you’re cold. [VERSE 2 – darker turn | more serious vocal | slightly minor color | steady groove, more tension | Female voice (lead)] They said his intimacy was “complicated,” that he never pushed, never asked, patience wearing cologne, calm that never talked back. And we—hungry spectators— bought the myth of flawless love, like it came with a warranty, like you could order it enough. Then one day the group chat changed its tone— like glass on the floor: “Charles never left his high-school girlfriend. They have a teenage son. Those ‘work trips’… were another door.” [PRE-CHORUS 2 – pause + tension | half-beat silence before entry | Male voice (lead)] We went quiet. Not to judge— just to remember: no one sees the whole script from a seat in the crowd. [CHORUS 2 – stronger | add harmonies | DUET (Male + Female) | backing vocals more present] Male: ’Cause from the front, the theater glows, Female: but behind the curtain wires show. Male: Tired eyes, missing scenes, Female: silent parts you’ve never seen. Both (harmonies): And I… I was stealing what we had watching someone else’s show. Both (unison, hook): A pedestal looks beautiful— but it won’t hold you when you’re cold. [BRIDGE – drop down | near a cappella | cracked-but-controlled vocal | minimal instruments | Female voice (lead)] That night I looked at my partner and felt the heat of my comparisons— the kind that sound soft but leave bruises in the room: “Why aren’t you like Charles?” “Why can’t you do it like him?” And I saw how cruel it is to use edited pictures to demand someone live inside a lie that isn’t theirs. I held them and whispered, like fixing a window: “I’m sorry I asked you to be someone else. I want to practice us.” [FINAL CHORUS – big but human | full drums | DUET (Male + Female) | group shouts optional on “now”] Male: ’Cause from the front, the theater glows, Female: but behind the curtain wires show. Male: Tired eyes, missing scenes, Female: silent parts you’ve never seen. Both (lift, harmonies): And now… now I’m done with the altars— I’m choosing you, no scorecards. Both (unison, landing): Let love be less display, more presence that stays. Two hands coming back when the whole world shakes. [OUTRO – spoken | solo guitar/piano | intimate close | Female voice (lead)] Less pedestal… more us.