016-04

One rule inside this crew
Every room hands out roles
Every job comes with a costume

But love does not begin
With a cover story

In here
And when we leave
No acting

Love that has to be performed
Is already a bill
Somebody will be handed later

So drop the face
Say the plain thing plainly
And where the words are not ready
Don't make theatre
Out of certainty

And when the thing in front of you is rotten
Don't negotiate with it
Turn away

And when the thing in front of you is good
Don't admire it from a distance
Hold on
With both hands

Test everything
Keep what is good

And then learn the hardest part
Of playing in a band

Practice second fiddle
Practice second fiddle

Not because you can't play
Not because you're small

Because somebody has to hold
The note under the melody
And everyone wants
The melody

Outdo each other in one thing only
Who gets to go
Second

Test everything
Keep what is good

And then learn the hardest part
Of playing in a band

Practice second fiddle
Practice second fiddle

Listen to an orchestra
With the second violins removed

The tune is still there
Every note, in order
Correct

And it sounds
Like a room with no floor

That's what a crew sounds like
When everybody
Is first

Test everything
Keep what is good
Drop the face
Take the lower chair

Play it like you mean it
Because down here
Is where the sound
Gets whole
No masks in this room

Second fiddle
Take your seat