Champagne for the funeral

(Verse 1)

You caught me grinning in the bathroom mirror

Practice makes perfect, love — I’m getting weirder

Pulling rabbits from a hat with bloodstained sleeves

The show must go on, even when it deceives

I kiss the daylight through the smog

Crack a joke, pretend I’m not

Falling faster than my smile suggests

Silhouettes in suits don’t ask, they guess

(Pre-Chorus)

But I know

When the lights dim low

You’ll see

Just a shimmer of the ghost in me

(Chorus)

Champagne for the funeral, darling

Toast to the art of not alarming

Anyone who thinks I’m still alright

While I’m dying in soft focus light

Paint my face in yesterday’s grace

Lie through teeth in a velvet embrace

And say, “No, I’m fine”

While I count down time

(Verse 2)

The doctor said it’s all a blur

Like trying to catch smoke in a chauffeur’s slur

But I’m dressed sharp and dancing slow

With secrets stitched into my overcoat

I’m the laughter in the corner booth

The best man hiding the brutal truth

I spin tall tales with a silver tongue

Like there’s still time left to come undone

(Pre-Chorus)

But deep down

When the crowd’s not ’round

I break

Like a record nobody can remake

(Pre-Chorus Variation – softer, rising)

But sometimes

When the mirror blinks

I see

What the silence really thinks

(Mini Chorus – more intimate)

Confetti in a hospital gown

Laugh it off, don’t let them frown

Tell ’em “It’s just a passing phase”

While I slip further from their gaze

And if the truth’s a bitter pill

Then love, I’ll smile until I’m still

(Chorus)

Champagne for the funeral, darling

Toast to the art of not alarming

Anyone who thinks I’m still alright

While I’m dying in soft focus light

Paint my face in yesterday’s grace

Lie through teeth in a velvet embrace

And say, “No, I’m fine”

While I burn through time

(Bridge)

I leave notes in invisible ink

On the backs of receipts from a bar that sinks

I light candles where no one sees

And dream of leaving quietly

(Extended Bridge / Verse 3 – slow and dreamy, almost spoken at first, then building)

There’s a diary in my mind you’ll never read

Full of pages torn and thoughts that bleed

I keep the ink behind my grin

Tidy chaos folded deep within

There’s a party on the deck of a sinking ship

I pour another drink and bite my lip

You ask, “You sure you’re doing fine?”

And I lie so well it sounds like a line

(Breakdown - spoken/sung softly)

Don’t you dare cry for me

Not while I’m still on stage

Let the curtains fall in silence

Like the turning of a page

(Final Chorus)

Champagne for the funeral, darling

Toast to the art of not alarming

Anyone who loves me enough to see

The cracks in this old marquee

Hold your applause, love, don’t you weep

I’ve got one last joke to keep

And say, “I’m just tired”

While the stars expire

(Outro)

Smiling like it’s all pretend

Every story needs an end