9:00 PM

(The track opens with real-world sounds)

(Whispered) Nine o'clock...

The sun is gone.

The act begins.

(The electric piano plays a lonely, repeating chord progression.)

Nine o'clock on the dot, dinner’s cold on the stove

He asks me how my day was, I give the answer that he knows

I smile right on cue, I say exactly what I should

But my mind is down the highway, doing things it never should

The television's glowing, painting shadows on the wall

I’m sitting right beside him, but I am not here at all.

(A deep, rolling Future Garage beat hits with skipping percussion and a heavy, warm sub-bass. The vocal opens up with wide, atmospheric reverb.)

Step into the dark, let the daylight fade

Living in the ghost of the promises we made

The clock is ticking down, the night is pulling me

Underneath the surface where nobody can see

Yeah, it’s nine o'clock...

And the shadow’s breaking free.

(The heavy bass drops out, leaving a clicking rimshot and a pulsing synth pad to maintain the rhythm.)

He reaches for my hand, and I let him hold the shell

Of a girl who’s keeping secrets that she’ll never, ever tell

My phone is face down, but I feel it buzz again

A phantom vibration cutting right through my skin

I watch him fall asleep, breathing heavy, breathing slow

While the static in my veins tells me it is time to go.

(The deep, rolling beat returns, hitting harder this time with bright, emotional synth swells cutting through the mix.)

Step into the dark, let the daylight fade

Living in the ghost of the promises we made

The clock is ticking down, the night is pulling me

Underneath the surface where nobody can see

Yeah, it’s nine o'clock...And the shadow’s breaking free.

(The beat drops out completely. High-pitched, chopped vocal textures swirl in a stereo delay. The chord progression builds up with an aggressive, rising snare roll, creating intense emotional anxiety.)

Keys in my hand, shoes by the door

Can’t look back, can’t take it anymore

The daylight alibi is starting to blur

I’m leaving him behind... to get to him.

(The snare roll speeds up into a wall of white noise)

One last breath before I cross the line...

(The deep, rolling beat returns, hitting harder this time with bright, emotional synth swells cutting through the mix.)

Step into the dark, let the daylight fade

Living in the ghost of the promises we made

The clock is ticking down, the night is pulling me

Underneath the surface where nobody can see

Yeah, it’s nine o'clock...And the shadow’s breaking free.

(The massive energy crashes into a deep, muffled half-time beat. Heavily reverbed vocal echoes fade into the distance.)

Lock the door behind me.

Leave it all behind.

Nine o'clock...

Let the night begin.

(The instrumentation strips down to a single, pulsing 808 kick drum that beats like a heavy heart)