I Bow and Never Sing My

[Verse — 9/8, piano and bass]
I keep the orchestra in tune
Make every entrance come too soon
A single violin goes flat
You don't hear all the rest of that

[Pre-Chorus]
My melody beneath the stand
Is turning yellow in my hands

[Chorus — counterpoint]
Play the song you came to hear
I'll disappear between the years
I'd drop the baton, break the score
And let the silence flood the floor
But every player trusts my count
I can't just leave them hanging now
(One, two, three / where's me?)

[Bridge — solo voice]
My own first note is swelling high
I swallow it to keep us right

[Outro]
Applause rolls in like distant rain
I bow and never sing my name