(Musical Intro: A bright, rhythmic harp pluck starts—high-pitched and almost "toy-like." A soft, airy wooden flute joins in with a wandering, nostalgic melody that feels like a warm hug.)
Verse 1
(Vocal: Light, breathy, and smiling. Like a storyteller in a sunlit village square.)
The sun is high o’er the clover field
Where the wooden sword and the painted shield
Wait for the child who ran away
To hide from the dragons every day.
(Music: The flute does a playful little trill here)
The village is safe, the sky is blue
We’ve scrubbed the silver until it’s new
And if you see smoke on the mountain peak
It’s only a game of hide-and-seek.
Chorus
(Vocal: Becomes more melodic and "skipping." The energy lifts into a dance-like cadence.)
(Music: A hand drum or "bodhrán" begins a steady, soft heartbeat rhythm)
Oh, dance in the ring of the fairy fire
Higher and higher and higher and higher
We’ve locked the cellar and lost the key
To keep you as safe as you’ll ever be.
The monsters are gone, the story is told
And no one is shivering out in the cold.
Verse 2
(Vocal: Stays gentle, but with a slight, almost imperceptible tremor—like someone trying very hard to keep a secret.)
Come sit by the hearth, the soup is sweet
Ignore the glass beneath your feet
(Music: The harp hits a sharp, dissonant "ping" on the word "glass," then immediately returns to the happy melody)
It’s only a mirror that fell from the wall
It didn’t hurt anyone at all.
We’ll mend your dress with a golden thread
And tuck the memories into bed
If you wake up screaming from the dark
It’s just the song of a lonely lark.
Bridge
(Vocal: The "smiling" tone drops. It becomes more urgent, almost a desperate whisper. The "airy" quality is replaced by tension.)
(Music: The happy harp stops. A low, droning cello note held underneath a sharp, minor-key flute melody that feels "cold.")
Don’t look at the scars on the castle stone
They’re just decorations we’ve always known.
If the walls are shaking, it’s only the wind
Forgiving the places where we have sinned.
Go back to sleep, little soldier of light
(Vocal: A long, haunting pause before the final line)
The war didn’t happen tonight.
Chorus
(Vocal: Forces the "happy" energy back in, but it’s louder now, as if trying to drown out the Bridge.)
(Music: The harp and flute return at a faster, more frantic "dance" tempo)
Oh, dance in the ring of the fairy fire
Higher and higher and higher and higher
We’ve locked the cellar and lost the key
To keep you as safe as you’ll ever be.
The monsters are gone, the story is told
And no one is shivering out in the cold.
Outro
(Vocal: Extremely soft and hollow. The "smile" is back, but it feels empty.)
(Music: The instruments fade out one by one until only a single, echoing harp note remains)
It’s a happy day.
It’s a happy day.
Don’t ever look...
The other way.
Takara