[Intro – 8s, alarms muffled, chains drop] Locks lie. Walls forget. Names echo longer than sentences. ⸻ [Verse 1 – Villain | 35s] Concrete learned my patience, bars learned my grin, Counted every footstep, memorized the sin, Guards blinked once, lights took a breath, Freedom ain’t loud—it’s a quiet theft. They wrote my ending in a file with dust, Said “defeated,” said “done,” said “lost our trust,” But I don’t fade, I fold and wait, Pressure makes diamonds—or detonates. ⸻ [Pre-Chorus – Villain | 12s] They crowned a future with a brighter name, Forgot the past still plays the game. ⸻ [Chorus – Villain | 25s] I slip through midnight like a rumor reborn, City still mine by the cracks I formed, They cheer Isaiah, let the hero shine, Hope tastes sweet till it runs out of time. You can lock a man, you can’t lock the mind, Every shadow’s loyal, every fear’s mine. ⸻ [Verse 2 – Villain (approaching the mayor) | 30s] Doorbell rings like a memory sting, Former mayor trembling, can’t meet my grin, You sold me order, I sold you sleep, Now you’re just a man with secrets to keep. You said, “Trust me,” when the lights went red, Said, “Fear will hold,” then you bowed your head, Isaiah rose, yeah, the crowd went wild— Funny how courage scares a child. Mayor (spoken, shaking): You lost. It’s over. Villain (low): Over is a word for people who quit. ⸻ [Chorus – Call & Response | 25s] Mayor: They beat you—face it, you fell behind. Villain: I fell forward, learned the line. Mayor: The city chose them, it’s done, it’s true. Villain: Cities choose comfort— Till comfort breaks through. Both: Say his name, feel the room go cold, Victories age faster than the stories told. ⸻ [Bridge – Tension | 20s] Mayor: What do you want? Villain: A reminder. Mayor: Of what? Villain: Power never retires— It reorganizes. ⸻ [Verse 3 – Villain | 30s] Tell Isaiah I’m not a ghost in chains, I’m the storm that studies the plains, Tell the hero legends walk away, But villains stay when the crowds decay. I won’t rush dawn, I won’t force the night, I’ll wait where cracks learn how to bite, Every system rots, every halo slips— Time does the work if patience grips. ⸻ [Final Chorus – Villain | 30s] Let ’em sing about peace and brighter days, Let ’em build statues they’ll later raze, I’ll be the echo under every cheer, The question that returns when hope feels thin. You can win a war, you can’t end the game, Not when fear still remembers my name. ⸻ [Outro – 10s, door closes softly] Villain (to the mayor): Sleep easy. I’ll see you… When the city forgets again.

Midnight Recall