Spinning Plates

[Intro: glass chimes, hummed thirds]
(mmm-ah, mmm-ah-ah)

[Verse 1: lilting sing-rap, syncopated bass]
One plate for the promises, one for the past
One for each love I keep praying will last
Both hands full, but I smile like a king
If I keep up the rhythm, I can carry everything
(spin-spin, don't look down)

[Pre-Chorus: rising falsetto, stacked thirds]
A little wobble, catch it on the beat
(ooh-ooh, steady now)
Tell my shaking hands they won't miss a thing
(never, never!)

[Chorus: soaring octave lift, call-response]
Keep 'em spinning in the air (in the air!)
Keep pretending I'm not scared (not scared!)
If I dance fast enough through the night
Every fragile little world stays alive
(ah-ah-AHH, don't fall!)
I don't have to choose, I don't have to run
If I believe I'll never drop a single one

[Drop: pitched vocal chops, 808 counter-melody]
(spin-it, spin-it) (high-high-high!)
(no-crash, no-crash) (ai-ai-ai!)

[Verse 2: melodic double-time, rising pitch]
One more plate and I adjust my stance
Hear a little crack beneath the song
Turn the music louder, tell myself I'm wrong

[Bridge: drums cut, falsetto duet]
(What if one falls?) I won't let it
(What if they all?) Just forget it
[Suspended chord, harmonies swell]
Maybe balance isn't peace at all
Maybe I'm just dancing with the fall

[Final Hook: stacked harmonies, halftime]
Keep 'em spinning in the air
(oh-oh-oh, I'm still here)
If I never stop, nothing comes undone
[808 cuts; glass rings]
...Not a single one.