Intro [instrumental: accordion and acoustic guitar, 4 bars] [tempo: upbeat, 110–120 BPM] [dynamics: mezzo-forte → forte] [rhythm: light swing with a marching pulse] --- Verse 1 I stand at the table and speak calm and low [low voice] Don’t tell me how to live, don’t tell me how to breathe [sharp, accented] My steps are my rules, my road is my home [confident] Freedom burns in my chest, I won’t hide that flame [warmly] If you want to argue, then argue; if you want to leave, go [smirk] But don’t teach me how to be a man [firm] I make my own law, and I’ve got the strength to keep it [final chord] [pause: 1 bar; clink of glasses] --- Chorus I am a free man, don’t touch my wings [full choir, loud] Don’t tell me how to live, don’t try to change my soul [backing: “don’t change me”] Raise your glass for those who choose their own way [toast: lift glass] We drink to freedom, to the right to be ourselves [crowd: “to be ourselves!”] Stay if you want, leave if you must [softer] But don’t dictate how I breathe or how I love [chorus finale, crescendo] [short instrumental break, 2 bars; crowd shout] --- Verse 2 How many times they said: “That’s not how it’s done, son” [ironically] I answer with a song, not empty words [smiling] My mistakes are mine, I don’t hide them in the dark [clear] They made me who I am, standing here before you [proud] Don’t ask me to be someone I’m not [intimate, low] I choose truth, even if it cuts deep [sincere] Freedom isn’t a whim — it’s the breath inside my chest [slow, lingering] [applause; lights dim for a beat] --- Bridge [melody slows; saxophone solo, 8 bars] Take your advice if you must, but spare me orders [whisper] Love me if you can, but don’t lock me in a cage [softly] I welcome help, but I refuse commands [resolute] Freedom is a choice, not a sentence [emotional peak] [drum build-up, 4 bars] --- Chorus Repeat I am a free man, don’t touch my wings [everyone, louder] Don’t tell me how to live, don’t try to change my soul [backing: “don’t change me”] Raise your glass for those who choose their own way [toast: “to us!”] We drink to freedom, to the right to be ourselves [crowd: “freedom!”] Stay if you want, leave if you must [with a grin] But don’t dictate how I breathe or how I love [finale, forte] [audience call-and-response: lead invites crowd to sing last line; clap in time] --- Finale [instrumental: tempo quickens, 4 bars] [dynamics: forte → subito piano on last bar] [gesture: raise glass, smile, nod to the crowd] [last whispered line] — I am free. [applause; invite a final toast and communal singing]

Free man