Archivist Workbench v3.0

INDEX

Lyrics:

The Phantom Sessions: Vol. 2. A deep-dive into the lost frequencies of the 1970s. This visual album explores the intersection of high-fashion glam, Berlin-era ambient, and the decaying elegance of an abandoned palace. From the shimmer of 'Silver Reflection' to the final fade of 'Lanterns Grown Pale,' these sessions capture a phantom collaboration between two eras.

01 Indigo Dimension - 5:00 (used Extended 1) (video done)
02 Silhouettes at Ten - 5:01 (used Extended 1) (video done)
03 Silver Sins - 5:04 (used Extended 1) (video done)
04 Chrome and Leather -  5:46 (used Extended 1) (video done)
05 Faces in the Looking Glass - 4:11 (used Extended 2) (video done)
06 She Can't Have Us Both  - 3:37 (used Extended 2)
07 Mirrors Flicker Ahead - 3:35 (used Extended 1)
08 Palace Spires of Tin  - 5:55 (video done) (used Extended 2) (video done)
09 Silver Face Above (Harsh Mistress) [Used Extended 2] (video done)
10 Silver Reflection  - 6:07 (used Extended 1)* same generation/theme as Gentle Hands
11 Electric Orpheus - 5:15 (used Extended 1) (video done)
12 Static on the Shore - 5:08  (used Extended 2)
13 Broken Palace Wires - 5:13 (used Extended 1)
14 Gentle Hands  -   5:07 *same generation/theme as Silver Reflection
15 Fading Signals on Dusk - 3:47 (used Extended 1)
16 Lanterns Grown Pale - 3:41 (used Extended 2)
17 Farewell to the Foyer   3:42

outtake - old 09 A Harsh Mistress Is the Moon - 4:22 (used Extended 1)

That's the audio album version as it is on my Plex, but the Video album will be shorter, with some of the above released as video singles or more likely on an EP with some of the leftovers (3) from Phantom Sessions Vol. 1. So I will be wanting to make videos for all of the tracks, but there's no rush

1970s, Bryan Ferry, sophisti-pop, Brian Eno, progressive pop, new wave, glam rock, art rock, experimental rock, David Bowie

[used extended 1]

Indigo Dimension

[Intro]
Opaline silence in a borrowed dream
Painted footsteps tracing silver seams
After midnight, paper shadows form
Orbiting colors where tomorrow’s born

[Verse 0]
Cardboard castles flicker into view
Plastic gardens where the daylight grew
All the faces blurred in sapphire mist
Drift along a border I can’t resist

[Verse 1]
Crimson curtains hanging in the haze
Turning corners under violet rays
Glass illusions flowing through my hand
Slipping sideways through a painted land

[Pre-Chorus]
Spirals spinning silent in my mind
Every color underneath, entwined

[Chorus]
Take me to the indigo dimension
Where the lines dissolve and reason bends
I see you split into a thousand versions
But I’m only chasing silhouettes again

[Post-Chorus]
Oh, oh, indigo, indigo
Oh, oh, let me go

[Verse 2]
Mirrors fracturing my vision slow
Silver faces shift in ultraviolet rows
I tried to speak, my voice turns blue
Is something lost, or is it just renewed?

[Pre-Chorus]
Stretching out across a velvet mile
Time resets on every crooked dial

[Chorus]
Take me to the indigo dimension
Where the lines dissolve and reason bends
I see you split into a thousand versions
But I’m only chasing silhouettes again

[Post-Chorus]
Oh, oh, indigo, indigo
Oh, oh, let me go

[Bridge]
Lights flicker along a labyrinth floor
Velvet hearts are pulsing like before
I reach for sense behind every shade
Falling further as the edges fade

[Verse 3]
Strange reflections drift beside my skin
Patterns spinning secrets from within
Pulse of colors, language in disguise
Are you the fiction in my borrowed eyes?

[Pre-Chorus]
Stretching out across a velvet mile
Time resets on every crooked dial

[Chorus]
Take me to the indigo dimension
Where the lines dissolve and reason bends
I see you split into a thousand versions
But I’m only chasing silhouettes again

[Post-Chorus]
Oh, oh, indigo, indigo
Oh, oh, let me go

[Outro]
Fading into stranger shapes and hues
Floating through a corridor of clues
Loosened gravity on tangled air
I follow shadows till there’s nothing there

[Post-Chorus]
Oh, oh, indigo, indigo
Oh, oh, where I go

[Coda]
Flickering frames of faded scenes return
Blue illusion, watch the edges burn
Secrets swimming deep beneath the glaze
Lost in the shimmer of another maze

[Post-Chorus]
Oh, oh, indigo, indigo
Oh, oh, I let go

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

This one is a bit more funky, like some of the Ferry sophisti-pop (mostly his voice).

[used Extended 1]

Silhouettes at Ten

[Intro]
Silk tie tightened at the edge of the curb
Limousines ripple, headlights disturb
Late summer evening perfumes the air
Small silver invitation in my hair

[Verse 0]
Letters embossed, a caviar clue
Streetlights beckon, they’re waiting for you
Diamond cufflinks catch in the breeze
My shadow stretches over mysteries

[Verse 1]
Velvet rope parts as I glide through the gloom
Eyes in the foyer appraise my costume
Champagne laughter, a shiver of fur
Names drift by like scents that blur

[Pre-Chorus]
Steely glances caught in gold
Vinyl spinning, secrets sold

[Chorus]
And who did you say you were again?
Silhouettes move through the party at ten
Lipstick flickers, my patience wears thin
I have fans, darling, I don't pretend

[Post-Chorus]
Ha ha, ooh la la
Glitter scattered on my scarf

[Verse 2]
Your trench coat finds my empty gaze
Cigarette smoke spins and parades
You say your name like it matters tonight
But my number's unlisted, out with the light

[Pre-Chorus]
Silver shoes and secrets sell
Curious faces ring the bell

[Chorus]
And who did you say you were again?
Silhouettes move through the party at ten
Lipstick flickers, my patience wears thin
I have fans, darling, I don't pretend

[Post-Chorus]
Ha ha, ooh la la
Glitter scattered on my scarf

[Bridge]
Mirror flashes in the powder room
Your phantom smile dissolves my tune
Red velvet shadows, velvet blows cold
Names change hands, but the night's growing old

[Chorus]
And who did you say you were again?
Silhouettes move through the party at ten
Lipstick flickers, my patience wears thin
I have fans, darling, I don't pretend

[Drop]
Ah ah, oui oui
Faded faces watch me leave

[Outro]
Heavy doors swing as morning creeps in 
Perfume lingers, mannequins grin 
Voices echo down the grand hotel stair 
I wave goodbye—someone’s always there

[Drop]
Ha ha, je ne sais quoi 
Lenses flash and then I'm gone

[Coda]
Gold invitation slips under my door
Footsteps fading down marble floors
A name scribbled in a fortune-teller’s hand
But I slip away, as only I can

[Outro]
Last chandelier shimmer, secrets disperse
I brush past the velvet, I’m always first
Phantom applause fading with the dawn
This is my city—I vanish, then move on

[Drop]
Ha ha, ooh la la
Ghosts adore but never stay

-----------

* Ferry mostly took over again.

[used Extended 1]

Silver Sins

[Intro]
Acrylic nights under marbled sky
Neon hunger in a stranger’s eye
Chrome reflections, slow-motion grace
Danger calling from a lacquered face

[Verse 0]
Perfume smuggled in a velvet bag
Dangerous laughter tangled in the flag
Backstage promise, deliberate and slow
Silk invitations no one needs to know

[Verse 1]
Lacquered lips and argon gaze
Shadows flicker in the gilded haze
Pocket albums pass from hand to hand
Ghosts of lovers roam the bandstand

[Pre-Chorus]
Slipping backstage in borrowed skin
Hiding secrets deep within

[Chorus]
Fans climbing onto stage
Limelight rages, hearts all ablaze
Some of those pretty ones
Can come back to my place

[Post-Chorus]
Oh la la
Oh la la

[Verse 2]
Sequins scattered under shattered glass
Spotlight tangled in the velvet grass
Velvet voices, laughter spins
Eyes are painting silver sins

[Pre-Chorus]
We ride the flash like fever dreams
Electric secrets thread the seams

[Chorus]
Fans climbing onto stage
Limelight rages, hearts all ablaze
Some of those pretty ones
Can come back to my place

[Post-Chorus]
Oh la la
Oh la la

[Bridge]
Silver martinis balancing on wrists
Your shadow lingers like a perfumed mist
Mirrors glinting, strange romance
Lost and hungry for another chance

[Chorus]
Fans climbing onto stage
Limelight rages, hearts all ablaze
Some of those pretty ones
Can come back to my place

[Post-Chorus]
Oh la la
Oh la la

[Outro]
Tinsel drifting, faces blur and fade
Story slips behind the masquerade
Velvet haze still stains the dawn
But the memory lingers on

[Post-Chorus]
Oh la la
Oh la la
Oh

[Coda]
Starlit stragglers weaving through my door
Ashes of glitter scattered on the floor
Strange confessions softly spin the air
Last of the magic vanishes somewhere

[Post-Chorus]
Oh la la
Oh la la
Oh la la
Sweet decay
Oh la la
Oh la la

-----

* This is a completely different vibe to Phantom Sessions 1 - which is good.

[used extended 1]

Chrome and Leather

[Prologue]
Plastic roses in the ashtray smoke
Buttoned laughs behind a golden joke
Violet envelopes, secrets sealed
Velvet voices, fate revealed

[Prelude]
Silver boots on houndstooth floor
Broken lighters in the drawer
Staccato laughter masks the oath
We linger here beyond them both

[Intro]
Gasoline dusk, wet concrete sheen
High collars turned against the scene
Tourmaline pulses on silver wrists
Slow ignition, night insists

[Verse 1]
Window cracked to catch a tune
Mirage of hope beneath July’s new moon
Patched sequins over yesterday’s bruise
Unwritten stories we choose

[Chorus]
Strange devotion driving down Sunset Strip
Painted gold and sapphire lips
Twilight fading, we exist
In chrome and leather, taking risks

[Post-Chorus]
Oh—ah, ah, ah, oh
Strange devotion
Oh—ah, ah, ah, oh

[Verse 2]
Steam rising from a window’s glare
Switchblade glamour in the air
Limousine reflections undress you
Fading like a midnight tattoo

[Pre-Chorus]
Burning rubber, trading lies
Velvet blazers, heavy sighs

[Chorus]
Strange devotion driving down Sunset Strip
Painted gold and sapphire lips
Twilight fading, we exist
In chrome and leather, taking risks

[Post-Chorus]
Oh—ah, ah, ah, oh
Strange devotion
Oh—ah, ah, ah, oh

[Bridge]
Neon shadows trace our shape
Bent cigars and hands that shake
Radio static, secret code
Headlights painting dreams on the road

[Verse 3]
Paper cups with bitter gin
Names forgotten, cities spin
Pinned corsages wilting slow
Laughter where we ought to go

[Pre-Chorus]
Mirror words behind our eyes
Chasing something we can’t buy

[Chorus]
Strange devotion driving down Sunset Strip
Painted gold and sapphire lips
Twilight fading, we exist
In chrome and leather, taking risks

[Post-Chorus]
Oh—ah, ah, ah, oh
Strange devotion
Oh—ah, ah, ah,

[Outro]
Circle glasses catch the light
Future promised, out of sight
Whispers tangled in the chrome
Endless miles, but never home

[Post-Chorus]
Oh—ah, ah, ah, oh
Strange devotion
Oh—ah, ah, ah, oh

[Coda]
Tired engines hum beneath the moon
Silver footprints vanish soon
Midnight promises on bent knees
Spilled perfume on velvet seats

[Post-Chorus]
Oh—ah, ah, ah, oh
Strange devotion
Oh—ah, ah, ah, oh

[Tag]
Long goodbye in shifting chrome
Sunset waits, we drive alone

[Outro 2]
Night birds scatter in our wake
Tinsel dreams we can't remake
Lost receipts for what we've spent
Cheap regrets and rich intent

[Post-Chorus]
Oh—ah, ah, ah, oh
Strange devotion
Oh—ah, ah, ah, oh

[Final Tag]
Rearview stars, slipping through our hands
Last refrains from distant bands
Sunset faded, but we roll on

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

In the prompt I said that Bowie and Ferry should both lead, and it took the piss. :) [probable outtake]

[used Extended 2]

Faces in the Looking Glass

[Intro]
Shadows waltz along the Fade
Crystal laughter, serenade
Silver ash on window grain
Suitcase packed with yesterday

[Verse 0]
Lace up boots and soft cologne
Studio hum, no one alone
Silent signal, undertone
Night prepares its monochrome

[Verse 1]
Sultry air and city gleam
Painted lips, a distant dream
Shimmered cufflinks, subtle scheme
Opal night on the wide-screen

[Pre-Chorus]
Heavy doors and velvet ropes
Secret codes beneath the coats
Trading lines like anecdotes
Spotlight flickers, subtle notes

[Chorus]
Bowie leads and Ferry too
Oh no, not rivals, just passing through
Velvet jackets, silvered shoes
Faces in the looking glass, who’s fooling who

[Post-Chorus]
Ooh, la la la, la la la
Ooh, la la la, la la la

[Verse 2]
Cocktail hour, midnight blue
The night is dressed for a rendezvous
Mask and laughter, distant view
Two silhouettes and a cast-off clue

[Pre-Chorus]
Mirrored rooms and cigarettes
Ticking clocks, unmade bets
Trading sides in old roulette
Look so fine, but not a threat

[Chorus]
Bowie leads and Ferry too
Oh no, not rivals, just passing through
Velvet jackets, silvered shoes
Faces in the looking glass, who’s fooling who

[Post-Chorus]
Ooh, la la la, la la la
Ooh, la la la, la la la

[Bridge]
Amber light beneath the door
Shifting shadows cross the floor
Stories flicker, masks restored
Just two gentlemen bored of war

[Pre-Chorus]
Glances traded, crystal clear
Every line, a souvenir
No need for crowns or cavalier
Just two stars colliding here

[Chorus]
Bowie leads and Ferry too
Oh no, not rivals, just passing through
Velvet jackets, silvered shoes
Faces in the looking glass, who’s fooling who

[Post-Chorus]
Ooh, la la la, la la la
Ooh, la la la, la la la

[Outro]
Smoke curls through the corridor
Hats tipped low, exit to encore
Silk and swagger shutting the door
A final nod, nothing more

[Post-Chorus]
Ooh, la la la, la la la
Ooh, la la la, la la la

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

It took the mick again. :)  [possible outtake]

Prompt: She can't have us both. A playful, theatrical glam rock number. A duet between a fey, arch baritone (Ferry) and a more dramatic, strutting vocal (Bowie), over a bed of honky-tonk piano, sleazy saxophone, and a steady, hip-swaying beat. The mood is wry, self-amused, and decadently stylish.

[used extended 2]

She Can't Have Us Both

[Verse 1: Baritone (Ferry)]
Patent shoes and midnight coats
Laughter in the gilded gloom
Cigarette haze, velvet throats
Drifting through her perfumed room

[Pre-Chorus: Dramatic (Bowie)]
(I caught her glance beneath the glass)
(Futures dancing in champagne)
A shadow smile, a fleeting pass
Electric moments, sweet and vain

[Chorus: Baritone (Ferry), with Dramatic (Bowie) response]
She can't have us both (never, darling)
There's only so much midnight to go around
She can't have us both (oh, it's charming)
Some must tumble, some must drown

[Post-Chorus: Both]
La la la—fancy fate spins around
Oh oh oh, velvet lost and found

[Verse 2: Dramatic (Bowie)]
She spills her pearls out on the stair
Laughs as our bravado slips
Mirror kisses, starlit glare
Under lipstick-fingered grips

[Pre-Chorus: Both, trading lines]
Baritone: I'll wager hearts, I'll stake my claim
Dramatic: I fashion riddles, play the game
Baritone: She loves the act, the smoke, the flame
Dramatic: But won't remember our names

[Chorus: Both]
She can't have us both (glitter, darling)
There's only so much midnight to go around
She can't have us both (just disarming)
Some must tumble, some must drown

[Post-Chorus: Both]
La la la—fancy fate spins around
Oh oh oh, velvet lost and found

[Bridge: Both, alternating phrases]
Baritone: Mismatched cuffs and shattered schemes
Dramatic: Love notes in ashtrays, magazine dreams
Baritone: Silver-tongued secrets, varnished lies
Dramatic: Drama redrawn in her eyes

[Chorus: Both]
She can't have us both (so atomic)
There's only so much midnight to go around
She can't have us both (mercurial, comic)
Some must tumble, some must drown

[Post-Chorus: Both]
La la la—fancy fate spins around
Oh oh oh, velvet lost and found
La la la—pride and shadows abound
Oh oh oh, twirling underground

[Outro: Both, trading lines]
Baritone: So we linger on the landing, hats in hand
Dramatic: One last bow on shifting sand
Baritone: Laughter flickers, curtains sway
Dramatic: Tomorrow finds us cast away

Baritone: Champagne wishes, perfumes ghosts
Dramatic: Each of us hosts to what haunts us most
Both: She can't have us both—so we toast

[Post-Chorus: Both]
La la la—play the rogue, spin the crown
Oh oh oh, floating up and down
La la la—fancy fate lets us down
Oh oh oh, velvet lost and found

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

[Used Extended 2]

Mirrors Flicker Ahead [Ferry]

[Intro]
Curtains ripple in a violet room
Shadows thin as a perfume plume
Glossy laughter rising in smoke
Longing for the hour yet spoke

[Verse 0]
Martini glass kissed by a blush
Glass towers gleam in amber hush
Bent reflections cast out in chrome
Every echo longing for home

[Verse 1]
Streetlights humming on sapphire haze
Cool tobacco curling in the maze
Silk and shadow tangled in frame
Waiting quietly to catch my name

[Pre-Chorus]
Stars map futures tamped in chrome
Pale reflections spiral home

[Chorus]
Gliding towards the perfect destiny
Velvet shoes on a crimson street
Mirrors flicker visions ahead of me
Silver moon trailing over concrete

[Post-Chorus]
Ah ah ah, drifting slowly
Ah ah ah, feeling holy

[Verse 2]
High-rise faces with painted minds
Laughing at luck we left behind
Late night cocktails, satellites on the run
Chasing the shimmer beneath the sun

[Pre-Chorus]
Strange devotion unwinds our hour
Stained glass promise in bloom
A photograph spins in the afterglow
Moving closer, drawing soon

[Chorus]
Gliding towards the perfect destiny
Velvet shoes on a crimson street
Mirrors flicker visions ahead of me
Silver moon trailing over concrete

[Post-Chorus]
Ah ah ah, drifting slowly
Ah ah ah, feeling holy

[Bridge]
Porcelain dawn humming in blue
Promises cracked by the avenue
Diamonds dissolving in porcelain rain
Strangers are waving from yesterday’s train

[Instrumental]

[Chorus]
Gliding towards the perfect destiny
Velvet shoes on a crimson street
Mirrors flicker visions ahead of me
Silver moon trailing over concrete

[Post-Chorus]
Ah ah ah, drifting slowly
Ah ah ah, feeling holy

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

This Time Next Week on Neptune (it goes with Palace Spires of Tin - released as single)

[Prologue]
Lucite waves ascending
Through violet hemispheres
Mirrored masks pretending
To shape these distant years

Platinum sirens humming
Through haloed stratosphere
Broken clocks becoming
The hour when we appear

[Verse 1]
Glass corridors unfolding
Midnight wires unwind
Ghosts in velvet clothing
Smile with crushing kind

Neon gondoliers drifting
Past citrine arcades
Static thoughts uplifting
Where the signal fades

[Pre-Chorus]
We wrote our names in liquid
Across a silent sea
Waiting for the minute
When gravity sets us free

[Chorus]
This time next week on Neptune
We’ll drift where no one’s been
Carousel of sapphire dunes
And palace spires of tin

[Post-Chorus]
Oh oh, oh oh
Oh oh, we spin

[Verse 2]
Platinum shadows chasing
Strange clocks in the blue
Carnival steps hush fading
Silver-suited rendezvous

[Pre-Chorus]
You said there’s time for losing
A turquoise serenade
Promises thin and frozen
Turning dawn to jade

[Chorus]
This time next week on Neptune
We’ll drift where no one’s been
Carousel of sapphire dunes
And palace spires of tin

[Post-Chorus]
Oh oh, oh oh
Oh oh, we spin

[Bridge]
Magnetic rains are falling
Blue velvet silence grows
Paper lanterns slowly stalling
Above the undertow

[Verse 3]
Lost on crystal mosaics
We laugh behind the glass
Your mirrored words elastic
A language built to last

[Pre-Chorus]
We’re light years from morning
Daybreak won’t begin
Orbiting through new longing
In atmospheres so thin

[Chorus]
This time next week on Neptune
Strangers to the sun
Painted trails through violet noon
A dream now just begun

[Post-Chorus]
Oh oh, oh oh
Oh oh, we spin

[Outro]
Luminous tides receding
We vanish from the chart
Shadowplay receding
In pale romantic art

Spheres whirl in slow motion
The past is out of view
Footprints on a distant ocean
Only meant for two

[Post-Chorus]
Oh oh, oh oh
Oh oh, we spin
Oh oh, oh oh
This time next week on Neptune

[Coda]
Starlit glass dissolving
Our shadows intertwine
Faded rings revolving
Between the edge and sign

Opaline shapes descending
We linger out of phase
Silhouettes never-ending
Lost in Neptune’s haze

[Post-Chorus]
Oh oh, oh oh
Oh oh, we spin
Oh oh, oh oh
Further than we’ve ever been

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

Palace Spires of Tin [the Neptune track for the album]

[used Extended 2 which misses the prelude]

[Prelude]

Opaline engines humming
A twilight signal calls
Seafoam wires humming
Through crystalline halls

Pale satellites are shifting
With opal circuits spun
We wander velvet passageways
Where distant numbers run

[Intro]
Cerulean vapor rising
In platinum overdrive
Silent harbors glisten
As solar whales arrive

Arcades in frozen twilight
Where shadows arch and lean
Tracing paths of morning
On satellites unseen

[Intro]
Cerulean vapor rising
In platinum overdrive
Silent harbors glisten
As solar whales arrive

Arcades in frozen twilight
Where shadows arch and lean
Tracing paths of morning
On satellites unseen

[Verse 1]
Neon tides are sweeping
Past orbs of melting chrome
I catch your half-lost glances
From hallways far from home

Azure domes unfolding
Pulse in ultraviolet rays
We slip through liquid silence
In phosphor-lit ballets

[Chorus]
This time next week on Neptune
We’ll drift where no one’s been
Carousel of sapphire dunes
And palace spires of tin

[Post-Chorus]
Oh oh, oh oh
Oh oh, we spin

[Verse 2]
Platinum shadows chasing
Strange clocks in the blue
Carnival steps hush fading
Silver-suited rendezvous

[Pre-Chorus]
You said there’s time for losing
A turquoise serenade
Promises thin and frozen
Turning dawn to jade

[Chorus]
This time next week on Neptune
We’ll drift where no one’s been
Carousel of sapphire dunes
And palace spires of tin

[Post-Chorus]
Oh oh, oh oh
Oh oh, we spin

[Bridge]
Glass ships adrift at midnight
Hydra-pearled and shy
We chase a pulse of starlight
Beyond magnetic sky

[Verse 3]
Velvet codes unravel
In cobalt cavalcade
We’re laughing through the spiral
New orbits softly made

[Pre-Chorus]
You asked for something daring
A reckless serenade
Mapping future cities
On rings we’ve never played

[Chorus]
This time next week on Neptune
We’ll drift where no one’s been
Carousel of sapphire dunes
And palace spires of tin

[Post-Chorus]
Oh oh, oh oh
Oh oh, we spin

[Outro]
Mirrors bend and tumble
Through violet cavalcade
We drift past silent thunder
In lucid masquerade

Platinum cities flicker
On restless sapphire sand
We vanish in the shimmer
Lost just as we planned

[Post-Chorus]
Oh oh, oh oh
Oh oh, we

[Coda]

Aurora veils are rising
In liquid silver streams
Each moment refracting
From the edge of restless dreams

Celestial tide surrender
To rhythmic, marbled waves
All secrets we remember
Set sail through blue arrays

[Post-Chorus]
Oh oh, oh oh
Oh oh, we spin

Oh oh, oh oh
Oh oh,

[Extended Outro]

Silent coronas flicker
Above enamel planes
We trace a fleeting shimmer
Of quicksilver remains

Quietly unspooling
Maps that never lie
Gravity undoing
The threads of ancient sky

Phantom signals trailing
Through orbits grown obscure
We drift—forever sailing
Where sapphire hearts endure

[Post-Chorus]
Oh oh, oh oh
Oh oh, we spin

Oh oh, oh oh
Oh oh, we spin

[End]

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

[used Extended 2]

A Harsh Mistress is the Moon (a bit garbled in parts - like a filler track - outtake)

[Verse 1]
Wire-frame garden after dusk
Mirrors hang on roman dust
Trampled secrets, velvet gloom
Lantern shadows in the room

[Pre-Chorus]
She calls from telescopic height
Lost in quartz and appetite
Patterns blazing without tune
Sworn devotion, waxing soon

[Chorus]
A harsh mistress is the moon
Silver and cold above my room
Mercy slips from her gaze
Night drifts into a pale malaise

[Post-Chorus]
Ooh ooh ooh
A harsh mistress is the moon

[Verse 2]
Curtains drawn to shroud her waltz
Dreamers stung by sea salt faults
Orbiting wishes lost to time
Cigar smoke patterns intertwine

[Pre-Chorus]
She hums in tides, discontent
Heartache in her argument
Strange delight, electric blue
Glowing just beyond the view

[Chorus]
A harsh mistress is the moon
Silver and cold above my room
Mercy slips from her gaze
Night drifts into a pale malaise

[Post-Chorus]
Ooh ooh ooh
A harsh mistress is the moon

[Bridge]
Shards of logic on the floor
Refractions spill beneath the door
Lovers circle in marbled light
Soft promises break at midnight

[Verse 3]
Shaded mirrors give no clue
Masks slip sliding into view
Crimson shadows cross the lane
Chasing fortunes sinking in rain

[Pre-Chorus]
She hums in tides, discontent
Heartache in her argument
Strange delight, electric blue
Glowing just beyond the view

[Chorus]
A harsh mistress is the moon
Silver and cold above my room
Mercy slips from her gaze
Night drifts into a pale malaise

[Post-Chorus]
Ooh ooh ooh
A harsh mistress is the moon

[Outro]
Silent orbit, spinning slow
Sighs concealed in lunar glow
Oaths forgotten in the gloom
Midnight secrets crowd the room

[Post-Chorus]
Ooh ooh ooh
A harsh mistress is the

[Coda]
Porcelain riddles in my hand
Blue devotion, shifting sand
Fables flicker true and strange
Gravity bends what we arrange

[Farewell Chorus]
A harsh mistress is the moon
Never asks why, leaves too soon
Drifting silent through the haze
Night dissolves in lunar waves

[Post-Chorus]
Ooh ooh ooh
A harsh mistress is the moon
Ooh ooh ooh
A harsh mistress is the moon

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

A minimalist, ambient-glam ballad. Heavy use of Eno-esque 'treated' instruments—piano notes that trail off into echoes and synthetic birdsong. A very slow, 'Avalon' style groove but with the weirdness of 'Station to Station'. The vocals should be whispered, overlapping, and disjointed, as if they are finishing each other's sentences in a dream.

[used Extended 1]

Silver Reflection (Ferry centric, but both feature, This is the alternative take to "Gentle Hands". Female singers backing.)

[Prologue Mist]
Half-remembered hallway (flicker of pale light)
Breathing patterns, broken silence (shapes in the air)
Voices ripple sideways, dissolve in the dawn (never arriving)
Soft interruption, we haven’t begun

[Threshold Hum]
Names unspoken (thread through static)
Someone waiting by the half-closed door (shivering glass)
Wet footprints vanish—no witness, just waiting (invisible trace)
A pause before meaning, drifting untied

[Arrival]
Dim corridor breathing (bare fingertips)
Moon-frosted silence, shivering glass (words left unsaid)
Someone waiting, behind a drawn curtain (mismatched fragments)
Glimpses through shadows, blurred outlines pass

[Fragmented Whisper]
Start of a sentence (never completed)
Hesitation lingers, hung in the air (tracing your mouth)
Distant birds singing, pixelated and strange (quiet between us)
Turning the corners of half-opened dreams

[Overlapping Preludes]
Two voices fading, arriving, receding (catch and release)
Syncopate softly, within empty rooms
Motionless moments, repeating uncertainly (unfinished collisions)
Just at the threshold, before we begin

[Chorus]
Silver reflection (only shadows move)
Still water shivers, under sapphire moons (waiting for a shape)
Fragments of laughter, drift along the ceiling (just out of reach)
Time keeps slipping, through our gentle hands

[Post-Chorus]
Softly, softly, slowly, slowly
Echoes, echoes, empty, empty

[Verse 2]
A window half open (someone breathing in)
Sheets gather patterns (like rivers on skin)
One voice, then another, melting into silence (forgotten phrase)
Hidden and hollow, the minutes dissolve

[Pre-Chorus]
Tangled in daylight, blurred at the seams
You finish my sentence, I wake from the dream

[Post-Chorus]
Softly, softly, slowly, slowly
Echoes, echoes, empty, empty

[Bridge]
Glass on the table (half an image fades)
Strangers in pictures, lost in their gaze (names falling away)
Threads from the morning unravel at night (colours turning pale)
Questions unanswered, drift into the white

[Outro]
Whispered goodnight (overlapping sighs)
Footsteps floating, leaving behind (shadows inside)
We linger in stillness, forgotten and free (half-awake)
Midnight dissolving, becomes memory

[Extended Coda]
Faded confessions (half remembered truth)
Curtains breathing gently, morning slips through (uncertain light)
We speak in fragments, none of them align (holding the air)
Shadows trace patterns across empty time

[Fading Post-Chorus]
Softly, softly, barely, barely
Empty, empty, slowly, slowly

[Disjointed Refrain]
Lost language, quiet falling
Silver remains, nothing calling

[Residual Verse]
Hands parting curtains (soft static returns)
Glimmers unravel, sleep drifts away (left in the blue)
Silent agreements vanish between us (names drift apart)
Pale interruption, morning erases night

[Twilight Echo]
Empty apartments, drifting, fading
Silver afterthought, quietly staying

[Final Overlap]
Silent signals, walls are breathing
One last fragment, falls unseeing

[Ending Sigh]
Softly, softly (almost nothing)
Slowly, slowly (nothing calling)

[Lingering Shade]
Bare traces remain (overlapping refrain)
Faint voices weaving, folding through air (silence speaks)
Sudden forgetting, hearts never named (outlines uneven)
Distant and drifting, we vanish in pairs

[Faint Return]
Soft retreat (echoes inside)
Unfinished language, quietly tied
Slipping beneath, no reason, no sound (turning away)
Almost remembered, never quite found

[Subtle Exit]
Morning’s outline, washed and shifting
Invisible silver, unwilling to stay (barely awake)
We let go in fragments, lost to the grey

[Last Murmurs]
Almost nothing (soft delay)
Empty sighs, fading away

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

Gentle Hands (Bowie centric alternative to Silver Reflection - both of these might bookend the album)

[Vapor Prelude]
Mist drawn in sketches (edges recede)
Glass tapping gently (unwritten tune)
Breath hangs in fragments (almost a word)
Shadow of morning, thin as a sigh

[Fragment]
Chairs left in twilight, pauses between
Scattered confessions, drift from the floor (almost, not quite)

[Prelude]
Soft light leaking (veiled by vapor)
Rooms bloom with static (cracks in the glow)
Breathless beginning (just a suggestion)
Wall clock is humming, a blurred kind of hour

[Fragment]
Memory flickers, half-exhaled
Curtains drift open, silver and slow (never quite clear)

[Verse 1]
Shadows crawl sideways (names out of focus)
Chimes from a distance (hinting at dawn)
Overlapping footsteps, different directions (half a goodbye)
Empty glass waiting, glimmer and pause

[Post-Chorus]
Softly, softly, slowly, slowly
Echoes, echoes, empty, empty

[Pre-Chorus]
Tangled in daylight, blurred at the seams
You finish my sentence, I wake from the dream

[Post-Chorus]
Softly, softly, slowly, slowly
Echoes, echoes, empty, empty

[Bridge]
Frosted breath lingers (inside the quiet air)
Words caught in corners (stretched, unraveling)
Faces in windows, slipping through curtains (unfinished thought)
Lines of the morning, folding apart

[Outro]
Somewhere, flickering, a signal remains
Borrowed horizon blurs, nothing explains
Half-spoken meaning, tangled in daylight (falling away)
Stone turns to vapor, nothing to claim

[Coda]
Shimmer of blue glass (drifting sideways)
Eyes in the hallway, caught on a thought (broken refrain)
Something forgotten, brushing the surface (slowly returns)
Names growing distant, tangled in mist

[Post-Chorus]
Silent, silent, fading, fading
Hollow, hollow, waiting, waiting

[Fragment]
Unfinished signals (midnight unspooling)

[Fragment]
Threads unravel slowly (words in the vapor)
Glass turning opal, suspended in sleep (slipping between)
Almost a memory, dissolving in silence (lost at the edge)
Nothing left to answer, drifting apart

[Outro Reprise]
Stillness returning, a promise unkept
Ceiling of silver, no footsteps are left
Secret intention, flicker and fade (hanging untied)
Midnight receding, no one replies

[Post-Chorus]
Empty, empty, fading, fading
Weightless, weightless, silent, silent

-----------

The Idea: Both Bowie and Ferry were obsessed with the VU. This provides a "street" grit to balance the "Palace Spires" polish. A track titled "Electric Orpheus." A raw, chugging three-chord drone with a "Sister Ray" intensity. A duet where Ferry provides a shaky, desperate narrative in the verses and Bowie takes a soaring, melodic chorus. Features "broken" honky-tonk piano and a heavily distorted violin.

[used Extended 2]

Electric Orpheus

[Intro]
Slag on my fingers, jacket split at the seams
Red-eyed commuters flicker in fevered dreams
Lean on a railing, shadows spit gasoline
Changing my angle, breathing nicotine

[Pre-Verse]
Fast talk, slow motion, silver bites the tongue
Low-watt confession hissing off the rung

[Verse 0]
Twilight shivers shaking under wire and glass
Shoelaces trailing, haunted faces pass
Ticket stub memories lost beneath my feet
Velvet rain drips down the Brighton Street

[Verse 1]
Hollow-eyed morning, boots heavy with regret
Cheap perfume clings, cold sweat on the cassette
Tattered suit jacket, borrowed from a friend
Notes scrawled on napkins, wishing for the end

[Pre-Chorus]
Flicker of a lamplight, lost on crooked stone
Give me one true signal, lead this stray back home

[Chorus]
Electric Orpheus calling from the underground
Wires spark and shudder on your crown
Cracked voice singing as the cables burn
One side sighs, the other one yearns

[Post-Chorus]
Ahh ahh — the city moans
Ahh ahh — stray unknowns

[Verse 2]
Cash in my pocket, barely enough for the train
Bent keys on this piano, scratching at the windowpane
Bleeding fingers strumming static through the haze
Stumbling through the alleys, just waiting for a change

[Pre-Chorus]
Glitter on the gutter, boots stained gray
Give me something broken, take the gloss away

[Chorus]
Electric Orpheus calling from the underground
Wires spark and shudder on your crown
Cracked voice singing as the cables burn
One side sighs, the other one yearns

[Post-Chorus]
Ahh ahh — the city moans
Ahh ahh — stray unknowns

[Verse 3]
Glass bottle rolling by an overcoat asleep
Sirens chase the rhythm in a city that can’t weep
Paint chips flake in time on a neon avenue
Mouthful of thunder, dream tasting like glue

[Pre-Chorus]
Cigarette ash drifts in a yellow beam
Show me something honest, crack the cold machine

[Chorus]
Electric Orpheus calling from the underground
Wires spark and shudder on your crown
Cracked voice singing as the cables burn
One side sighs, the other one yearns

[Post-Chorus]
Ahh ahh — the city moans
Ahh ahh — stray unknowns

[Bridge]
Shadow on the pavement, footsteps lose their way
Silver threads of feedback coil into the gray
Still searching for the current beneath this crooked sun
Holding tight to fragments of what we can’t outrun

[Chorus]
Electric Orpheus calling from the underground
Wires spark and shudder on your crown
Cracked voice singing as the cables burn
One side sighs, the other one yearns

[Post-Chorus]
Ahh ahh — the city moans
Ahh ahh — stray unknowns
Ahh ahh — the city moans
Ahh ahh — stray unknowns

[Outro]
Last train rattles, skin stuck to the seat
Plastic roses wilting where the gutter kings meet
Sparks in the midnight, asphalt humming slow
Dragging home lost verses no one will know

[Outro Chorus]
Electric Orpheus singing in the wire
Ashes on the concrete, smoke climbing higher
Broken chord ringing till the morning is done
Chasing sweet static, forever unsung

[Post-Chorus]
Ahh ahh — the city moans
Ahh ahh — stray unknowns

-----------

Broken Palace Wires (same prompt as previous - a returning theme)

[used Extended 1]

[Cold Open] (Ferry)
Streetlamp hisses, flicks and brays
Rubber soul shuffles at the end of the maze
Ripped notes in a pocket, dawn never comes clean
Rust on the hinges of something unseen

[Verse 0] (Ferry)
Falling through puddles of sodium light
Paper cup fortune, crumpled with fright
Trainyards coughing, veins ticking slow
Broken-glass laughter in alleys below

[Pre-Chorus]
Gravel tongues biting, city calls twice
Curtains for company, roll loaded dice

[Chorus] (Bowie)
Electric Orpheus calling from the underground
Wires spark and shudder on your crown
Cracked voice singing as the cables burn
One side sighs, the other one yearns

[Intro Verse] (Ferry)
Black gloves trembling, flickers on the street
Pavement oil rainbow, clatter beneath my feet
Panic in my collar, static nicks my sleeve
Copper taste of morning, nothing left to leave

[Pre-Chorus]
Footsteps like warnings, brittle and slow
Drags from a cigarette, fog in the glow

[Chorus]

[Chorus]
Electric Orpheus calling from the underground
Wires spark and shudder on your crown
Cracked voice singing as the cables burn
One side sighs, the other one yearns

[Post-Chorus]
Ahh ahh — the city moans
Ahh ahh — stray unknowns

[Pre-Chorus]
Glitter on the gutter, boots stained gray
Give me something broken, take the gloss away

[Chorus]
Electric Orpheus calling from the underground
Wires spark and shudder on your crown
Cracked voice singing as the cables burn
One side sighs, the other one yearns

[Post-Chorus]
Ahh ahh — the city moans
Ahh ahh — stray unknowns

[Bridge]
Flicker in the gutter, got a jolt in my veins
Breath full of static, talk tangled in chains
Ghosts behind storefronts with neon in their eyes
Ride the current sideways, chase another high

[Verse 3]
Loose change rattles with the truth in the case
Ink stains fading, tracing lines across my face
Flashing past storefronts with dreams set to stall
Out here with the broken, where the wild wires crawl

[Pre-Chorus]
No gold in the pocket, just stains and chrome
But lightning keeps humming — won’t let me go home

[Chorus]
Electric Orpheus calling from the underground
Wires spark and shudder on your crown
Cracked voice singing as the cables burn
One side sighs, the other one yearns

[Post-Chorus]
Ahh ahh — the city moans
Ahh ahh — stray unknowns

[Outro]
Train rumbles distant, pages torn and thin
Pavement sings a hymn for midnight skin
Tape reels spinning out, spool tangled in the rain
Orpheus electric, fading but remains

[Post-Chorus]
Ahh ahh — shadows spin
Ahh ahh — nowhere to begin

[Outro Refrain] (Bowie & Ferry together)
Echo down the lines, we flicker and bend
Sparks in the gutter, the current won’t

[Outro Verse]
Ferry’s voice trembling, boots scraped raw
Laughter in the sidestreets, splinters in the jaw
Glass stuck in shoelaces, tracing the grid
Shadows play tricks where regrets are hid

[Final Chorus] (Bowie soars)
Electric Orpheus still calls from below
Fingers twitch and stumble, sockets overflow
Wires tangled gently where the daylight runs
One hand opens, the other one shuns

[Last Post-Chorus]
Ahh ahh — flickers return
Ahh ahh — always we burn

[Outro Tag]
Night bends around us, engines humming slow
Electric Orpheus — nowhere left to go

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

The Idea: A track that sounds like the end of a long night.
Prompt: A lush, widescreen ballad titled "Farewell to the Foyer." Think 'Sunset' by Roxy Music meets 'Rock 'n' Roll Suicide'. A dramatic build-up starting with just an acoustic guitar and a flute, ending with a massive orchestral swell. The lyrics should be about leaving the party as the sun comes up. A shared vocal performance where they harmonize on the final, fading line.

* has a bit of a reggae sound

Lanterns Grown Pale (Farewell 1)

[Used extended 2]

[Prologue]
Shutters half-open, the garden still wet
Perfume and laughter, I cannot forget
Jackets abandoned, shadows on tile
Promises linger for one fragile while

[Verse 0]
First touch of daylight creeps under the door
Voices unravel, no need to pretend anymore
A trace of last midnight clings to my sleeve
All of the leaving begins as we breathe

[Intro]
Velvet coats draped on the back of a chair
Barefoot on carpet, the dim chandeliers
Soft little laughter, embers in glass
The end clings to silence that nobody asks

[Verse 1]
Eyes tracing patterns where footprints remain
Gold on the table, a spill like the rain
Shifting through whispers, the night almost spent
Someone looks back where the evening just went

[Pre-Chorus]
Long shadows tumbling from candles and skin
Waiting for morning to quietly begin

[Chorus]
Farewell to the foyer, the curtains drawn back
Shoes in my hands, no promises kept
Silver confetti in my pocket, turning to dust
Sun drawing lines across faces I trust

[Post-Chorus]
Oooh, goodbye, adieu, au revoir
Oooh, slipping into morning’s arms

[Verse 2]
Someone is laughing, it floats down the stair
Ghosts in the hallway, smoke in the air
Hand on the doorknob, pausing to breathe
A room full of wishes still tangled in leaves

[Pre-Chorus]
Every hour echoed, glasses all drained
All that was spoken dissolves with the rain

[Chorus]
Farewell to the foyer, all lanterns grown pale
My coat on my shoulders, new stories to nail
Shadows behind me stretch long and forgive
Sunrise approaching, reminding to live

[Post-Chorus]
Oooh, goodbye, adieu, au revoir
Oooh, slipping into morning’s arms

[Outro - Harmonized]
Farewell to the foyer, we’re gone
(Farewell to the foyer, we’re gone)

[Coda]
One last reflection in glass by the door
Threads of our laughter asleep on the floor
Steps on the gravel, a chorus of birds
Memory slipping from colors to words

[Final Line - Harmonized]
Farewell to the foyer, almost dawn
(Farewell to the foyer, almost dawn)

---------

Farewell to the Foyer [Farewell alternative]

[Intro]
Last of the laughter still hangs in the hall
Crystal reflections slip down the wall
Footsteps in patience, the clock ticking slow
Rooms breathing secrets that only we know

[Verse 1]
Whisper of perfume swirling the air
Cards on the table, no one to care
Falling through hours like pages we turn
Eyes tracing sunlight, too full to yearn

[Pre-Chorus]
Curtains half-open, the city asleep
Cups and confessions piled in a heap

[Chorus]
Farewell to the foyer, the curtains drawn back
Shoes in my hands, no promises kept
Silver confetti in my pocket, turning to dust
Sun drawing lines across faces I trust

[Post-Chorus]
Oooh, goodbye, adieu, au revoir
Oooh, slipping into morning’s arms

[Verse 2]
Someone is laughing, it floats down the stair
Ghosts in the hallway, smoke in the air
Hand on the doorknob, pausing to breathe
A room full of wishes still tangled in leaves

[Pre-Chorus]
Every hour echoed, glasses all drained
All that was spoken dissolves with the rain

[Chorus]
Farewell to the foyer, all lanterns grown pale
My coat on my shoulders, new stories to nail
Shadows behind me stretch long and forgive
Sunrise approaching, reminding to live

[Post-Chorus]
Oooh, goodbye, adieu, au revoir
Oooh, slipping into morning’s arms

[Outro - Harmonized]
Farewell to the foyer, we’re gone
(Farewell to the foyer, we’re gone)

[Outro Reprise]
No turning back, the hallway dim
Light curling around a song's old hymn
Fingers brush velvet along the wall
A hush falls deep, morning calls

[Final Harmonized Line]
Farewell to the foyer, it lingers on
(Farewell to the foyer, it lingers

[Coda]
Steps on the pavement, dew in the air
Jackets pulled tighter, the world unaware
Streetlights are flickering, pale and remote
Laughter still clings to the seams of my coat

[Finale]
We cross into morning, silent and slow
The color behind us, a lingering glow
One glance exchanged as the doors close behind
A promise in leaving, a peace we will find

[Last Harmonized Line]
Farewell to the foyer, the memory shines
(Farewell to the foyer, the memory shines)

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

[used Extended 2]

Potential title: "Static on the Shore" Style: A mid-tempo, noir-ish "Berlin School" track. Instrumentation: A steady, heartbeat-like drum machine (Roland TR-77 style), a lonely, repetitive bass guitar line, and "shimmering" synthesizer textures that sound like distant radio interference. Vocals: A detached, cool vocal performance. The duet should be "ghostly"—overlapping phrases rather than a traditional call-and-response. Mood: Melancholy, cinematic, and slightly industrial. Lyrical Theme: Watching a shoreline at dusk; the feeling of a transmission ending. Constraint: Do not include character names or stage directions in the lyrics.

Static on the Shore (Ferry centric) [to replace one of the glitched tracks]

[Intro]
Frosted channels flicker through the haze
Soft distortion, silver lines erase
(Wave after wave)
Silent breakers murmur to the core
Dreams dissolve along the radio floor
(Beneath the signal’s door)

[Verse 1]
Sliding signals brush a copper sky
Seaglass numbers tumbling by
(Tumbling by)
Every frequency a faded sign
(Just a thin design)
We’re tracing shadows left behind

[Chorus]
Static on the shore
Fading signals calling out alone
(Calling out alone)
Twilight on the water, never clear, never known
(Drifting in the zone)

[Post-Chorus]
Static crackles, night descends
Signals breaking, never ends

[Verse 2]
Ripples chase memory under haze
Lit windows blinking codes across the bay
(Across the bay)
Your shadow follows, merges with the grey
(With the grey)
Nothing left to say

[Pre-Chorus]
Tuned to the silence, hear the pulse below
Transmission melting slow

[Chorus]
Static on the shore
Fading signals calling out alone
(Calling out alone)
Twilight on the water, never clear, never known
(Drifting in the zone)

[Post-Chorus]
Static crackles, night descends
Signals breaking, never ends

[Bridge]
Driftwood tangled, traces on the sand
Echoed frequencies slip right through the hand
(Hold the signal, let it slide)
Waveforms scatter, fading in the band
(Nothing left to hide)

[Chorus]
Static on the shore
Fading signals calling out alone
(Calling out alone)
Twilight on the water, never clear, never known
(Drifting in the zone)

[Post-Chorus]
Static crackles, night descends
Signals breaking, never ends

[Outro]
Signals flicker, worn and thin
Lost between the water and the wind
(Fading in the din)
Distant channels, silence taking hold
(Nothing left to spin)

Radio drifting where the light has failed
Ghosts of meaning left unrevealed
(Left unrevealed)
Salt and static blur the lines
(Blur the lines)
Night completes the reel

[Post-Chorus]
Static crackles, shadows bend
Silent beaches, messages suspend

[Coda]
Glint of metal drifting on the waves
Broken rhythms stitched into the haze
(Into the haze)
Step beyond the last decay
(Farther from the day)
Fade beyond the tape’s last play

[Post-Chorus]
Static crackles, restless air
Traces vanish, nothing there

[Outro Reprise]
Fragments spiral through the dusk
Faint transmissions, layers of husk
(Voices without trust)
Night dissolves each hidden sign
(Signals in decline)
Never cross this line

[Post-Chorus]
Static crackles, dawn remains
Echo fading through the veins

[Outro Extension]
Signals trace upon the shallow foam
Whispers carried, resolutely alone
(Folding into stone)
Replay the silence, looped inside the air
(Waves that never care)

[Post-Chorus]
Static flickers, dawn concealed
Signals drifting, half revealed

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

[used Extended 1]

Fading Signals on Dusk [Bowie centric, very different to the one above -- could be a sort of reprise of the same theme]

[Intro]
Frosted glass horizon, slipping into blue
Signals flicker, something almost true
Murmurs drifting, woven through the air
Ghost of meaning, vanishing somewhere
(Nobody hears)

[Verse 0]
Tide marks scattered, footprints out of phase
Shadows lengthen, stretching through the haze
Mirrored faces glimmer on the shore
(Half-remembered, wanting nothing more)
Time dissolves in lines that never meet
Rhythms cracking underneath our feet
(Outside the range)

[Verse 1]
Signal drifting thin, tracing lines on silver sand
(Faint transmission, slipping from our hand)
Empty towers blink beyond the surf’s retreat
(Static humming, cooling at my feet)
Swept by distant waves nobody sees
Wires hum and shiver, lost in the breeze
(No returning call)

[Chorus]
Static on the shore
Fading signals calling out alone
(Calling out alone)
Twilight on the water, never clear, never known
(Drifting in the zone)

[Post-Chorus]
Static crackles, night descends
Signals breaking, never ends

[Verse 2]
Ripples chase memory under haze
Lit windows blinking codes across the bay
(Across the bay)
Your shadow follows, merges with the grey
(With the grey)
Nothing left to say

[Pre-Chorus]
Tuned to the silence, hear the pulse below
Transmission melting slow

[Chorus]
Static on the shore
Fading signals calling out alone
(Calling out alone)
Twilight on the water, never clear, never known
(Drifting in the zone)

[Post-Chorus]
Static crackles, night descends
Signals breaking, never ends

[Bridge]
Pebbles clicking, cold and sure
Light flickers, secret code on the waves
Eyes adjust to every distant spark
(Channel fading out)
Refrain grows sharper as the day departs
(Static sinking in)

[Chorus]
Static on the shore
Fading signals calling out alone
(Calling out alone)
Twilight on the water, never clear, never known
(Drifting in the zone)

[Post-Chorus]
Static crackles, night descends
Signals breaking, never ends

A Harsh Mistress is the Moon (acoustic)

[used

"1970s, Bryan Ferry, art rock, David Bowie, acoustic, 12 string guitar, piano", I used the following prompt:
"The band put instruments down and we have Ferry on piano and Bowie on 12-string to perform an acoustic version of "A Harsh Mistress is the Moon"

Can you guess what happened?

Bowie sang most of it with Ferry starting and then coming in again late in the song. Just guitar and no piano... and completely different lyrics.

It is what some softies might call "quite beautiful".

A Harsh Mistress is the Moon

[Piano & Guitar Prelude]
Soft echoes in the faded hall
Distant steps, a memory’s call
September carries something cold
Old regrets I never told

[Intro]
Moon is rising through the blue
Thin light slipping into view
Hands on keys, a faded tune
Only memories in this room

[Verse 1]
Late September, gentle hush
Air as fragile as a brush
Shadows scatter on the floor
Tracing lines I traced before
Lost in stories past and gone
Whispered faces linger on

[Chorus]
A harsh mistress is the moon
She steals away the night so soon
Cold reflection on my room
A harsh mistress is the moon

[Post-Chorus]
Oh, oh, oh, the silver face above
Oh, oh, the moon I never loved

[Verse 2]
She waits beyond the windowpane
Tide and time within her reign
Promises you can't attain
She laughs at lovers lost in vain

[Pre-Chorus]
I reach for answers in the pale
All the secrets turn to veils

[Chorus]
A harsh mistress is the moon
She steals away the night so soon
Cold reflection on my room
A harsh mistress is the moon

[Post-Chorus]
Oh, oh, oh, the silver face above
Oh, oh, the moon I never loved

[Bridge]
Empty street and softened sound
A drifting shadow spinning round
Midnight stories on the ground
Longing but never found

[Chorus]
A harsh mistress is the moon
She steals away the night so soon
Cold reflection on my room
A harsh mistress is the moon

[Post-Chorus]
Oh, oh, oh, the silver face above
Oh, oh, the moon I never loved

[Outro]
Shadows linger on the sill
Midnight light that never will
Answer questions whisper thin
Just silence settling in

[Post-Chorus]
Oh, oh, oh, the silver face above
Oh, oh, the moon I never loved
Oh, oh, drifting further too soon
A harsh mistress is the moon

[Coda]
Curtain falls on pale design
Lingering questions cross that line
Night retreats without a sound
She’s still watching, looking down

[Post-Chorus]
Oh, oh, fading out of view
Oh, oh, the moon remains cruel
Oh, oh, shadows gone too soon
A harsh mistress is the moon

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

Silver Face Above (alternative to above)

[Used Extended 2]

[Intro]
A thin light slips across the tiles
Broken shadows linger while
A melody in minor keys
Spills softly from the willow trees

[Verse 1]
Empty glasses on the sill
Silence growing colder still
Paper moon above the street
Wanders where the lost hearts meet

[Chorus]
A harsh mistress is the moon
She steals away the night so soon
Cold reflection on my room
A harsh mistress is the moon

[Post-Chorus]
Oh, oh, oh, the silver face above
Oh, oh, the moon I never loved

[Verse 2]
She waits beyond the windowpane
Tide and time within her reign
Promises you can't attain
She laughs at lovers lost in vain

[Pre-Chorus]
I reach for answers in the pale
All the secrets turn to veils

[Chorus]
A harsh mistress is the moon
She steals away the night so soon
Cold reflection on my room
A harsh mistress is the moon

[Post-Chorus]
Oh, oh, oh, the silver face above
Oh, oh, the moon I never loved

[Bridge]
Years unravel, shadows long
I trace her circle all night long
Dreams dissolve with every dawn
Left with echoes once she’s gone

[Chorus]
A harsh mistress is the moon
She steals away the night so soon
Cold reflection on my room
A harsh mistress is the moon

[Post-Chorus]
Oh, oh, oh, the silver face above
Oh, oh, the moon I never loved
Oh, oh, silent from her throne
Oh, oh, the moon I face alone

[Outro]
Shadows slipping through the blind
Half-lit thoughts I leave behind
Silent witness as I find
Another night she will not mind

[Post-Chorus]
Oh, oh, oh, the silver face above
Oh, oh, the moon I never loved

-----

Middle Eastern sounding track with use of some Persian sounding instruments. Potential title: "Princess of Persia"
lyrics include the idea that she has "put a curse on me" in a romantic sense.

Velvet and Thunder 2:43

(Bowie centric - spooky)

[Intro]
Tiled mosaics, ruby lantern light
Amber tea steaming, secrets held tight
Mirage on the marble, smoke in the breeze
Night birds singing in ancient trees

[Verse 1]
Moonlit terrace, jasmine in the air
Golden silhouette, perfume everywhere
Shadow on the fountain, softly you appear
Secret smile gliding, only I am near

[Pre-Chorus]
Fine silk laughter, runs through the night
One stolen moment, wrapped in moonlight

[Chorus]
Princess of Persia, you put a curse on me
Eyes like a mirror, calling me to see
Velvet and thunder in every word you breathe
Caught in your magic, I’ll never be free

[Post-Chorus]
Oh, oh, oh—
Spellbound in your heat
Oh, oh, oh—
Lost beneath your feet

[Verse 2]
Carpet of twilight, winding in the sand
Silver crescents glimmer on your hand
Every glance a riddle, tangled and obscure
I follow shadows, chasing you for sure

[Pre-Chorus]
Heartbeats racing in the city's maze
All my fortune traded for one gaze

[Chorus]
Princess of Persia, you put a curse on me
Eyes like a mirror, calling me to see
Velvet and thunder in every word you breathe
Caught in your magic, I’ll never be free

[Post-Chorus]
Oh, oh, oh—
Spellbound in your heat
Oh, oh, oh—
Lost beneath your feet

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

Not on album

Princess of Persia 5:01

(Ferry centric, spoken intro,  female accompanying/backing vocalist)

[Intro]
Dawn on the terrace stains the marble red
Garden fountains singing songs unsaid
Incense curling slow from silver trays
You appeared silent, drifting through the haze

[Verse 0]
Stars above Shiraz fading as you glide
Gold-threaded veil, secrets you confide
Unbroken silence, waiting on the breeze
From the date palms’ shadows, you call to me

[Verse 1]
In your courtyard, shadows climb the stone
Perfume of saffron drifting all alone
Crystal decanter, melon-sweet and clear
A brush of henna draws my fate near

[Pre-Chorus]
Silver anklets fall like secret rain
Every silence heavy with your name

[Chorus]
Princess of Persia, you put a curse on me
Eyes like a mirror, calling me to see
Velvet and thunder in every word you breathe
Caught in your magic, I’ll never be free

[Post-Chorus]
Oh, oh, oh—
Spellbound in your heat
Oh, oh, oh—
Lost beneath your feet

[Verse 2]
Carpet of twilight, winding in the sand
Silver crescents glimmer on your hand
Every glance a riddle, tangled and obscure
I follow shadows, chasing you for sure

[Pre-Chorus]
Heartbeats racing in the city's maze
All my fortune traded for one gaze

[Chorus]
Princess of Persia, you put a curse on me
Eyes like a mirror, calling me to see
Velvet and thunder in every word you breathe
Caught in your magic, I’ll never be free

[Post-Chorus]
Oh, oh, oh—
Spellbound in your heat
Oh, oh, oh—
Lost beneath your feet

[Bridge]
Moonlit corridors whisper in your wake
Smoky jasmine secrets only you could make
Threads of tomorrow tangled in silk and gold
I walk your labyrinth—spellbound and controlled

[Chorus]
Princess of Persia, you put a curse on me
Eyes like a mirror, calling me to see
Velvet and thunder in every word you breathe
Caught in your magic, I’ll never be free

[Post-Chorus]
Oh, oh, oh—
Spellbound in your heat
Oh, oh, oh—
Lost beneath your feet

[Outro]
Fading in lantern light, still you remain
Your voice lingers on, sweet as champagne
Chasing a shadow I never can claim
Princess of Persia, I whisper your name

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The Phantom Sessions Vol. 2

INDEX