That's Amore (When the Blade Goes In)

[Swinging piano. Brushed drums. A warm, grinning orchestra. Smooth Sammy's voice — bright, playful, utterly unhinged:]

"Ladies and gentlemen. They say love is a many-splendored thing. They say love makes the world go round. They never met my love. My love has an edge. My love has a point. My love has a way of getting under the skin."

[The orchestra swells. Sammy laughs softly.]

"This one's for the moment. The moment when the blade goes in. That's amore."

[VERSE 1 — SUNG, SWINGING, CHEERFUL]

When the blade goes in and you feel your skin
That's amore.
When the blood runs red and you lose your head
That's amore.

The stars are bright. The moon is high.
The voices sing. The voices cry.
But when the blade goes in and the pain begins
That's amore.

[HOOK — SUNG, SWINGING]

That's amore. That's the thing.
That's the moment the voices sing.
When the steel meets the bone and you know you're not alone
That's amore.

That's amore. That's the sound.
That's the moment you leave the ground.
When the blade goes deep and the promise you keep
That's amore.

[VERSE 2 — SUNG]

When you feel the cut and your eyes roll shut
That's amore.
When the room goes red and you join the dead
That's amore.

The band plays on. The crowd applauds.
The voices sing their little odes.
But when the blade goes in and the world begins to spin
That's amore.

[BRIDGE — SPOKEN OVER SOFT PIANO]

[Sammy's voice, quieter, almost tender:]

"You ever been in love? Real love? The kind that leaves a mark? The kind that changes you? The kind that makes you look at your hands and wonder how you ever lived without the blood?"

"That's not love. That's amore. That's the thing the poets write about when they're too afraid to say the word 'blade.'"

[The orchestra returns. Swinging. Cheerful.]

[VERSE 3 — SUNG]

When the blade goes in and the light gets dim
That's amore.
When the voices cheer and the end is near
That's amore.

The moon is low. The night is long.
The voices sing their final song.
But when the blade goes in and the pain begins again
That's amore.

[FINAL HOOK — SUNG, FULL ORCHESTRA, SWINGING, TERRIFYINGLY CHEERFUL]

That's amore. That's the truth.
That's the promise of my youth.
When the steel meets the bone and you know you're not alone
That's amore.

That's amore. That's the end.
That's the moment you meet your friend.
The blade. The blood. The beautiful flood.
That's amore.

That's amore. That's the song.
That's the place where you belong.
When the blade goes in and the world begins to spin
That's amore.

[OUTRO]

[The orchestra fades to a single, swinging piano note. Sammy's voice, warm, breathless, satisfied:]

"That was 'That's Amore.' The classic. The standard. The one they play at weddings. And funerals. And everything in between."

"When the blade goes in. That's amore. When the blood runs red. That's amore. When the voices sing. That's amore."

[The piano note fades. Silence. Then, a whisper:]

"That's amore, folks. That's amore."

Lounge, Crooner Jazz, male