THE WHOLE DAMN SHOW

[Intro: grand piano, sparse and reflective]

I kept a list of every failure
Like a ledger in my coat
Every bridge I burned too quickly
Every word I wish I never spoke

I kept trophies for the victories
Polished bright enough to blind
As if proving I had conquered
Could erase the times I fell behind

[Soft bass enters]

But the scars and the applause
Both belong to the same skin

And I’m tired of choosing
Which parts of me get in

[Pre-Chorus: drums begin to rise]

So bring the lights up
Open every door

I’ve been editing my life
I don’t want to anymore

[Chorus: full band, huge harmonies]

Give me the whole damn show
The highs, the lows
The nights I lost control

Give me every wrong turn
Every bridge I burned
Every lesson that I learned

I’ll take the glory
I’ll take the blame
I’ll wear them both beneath my name

If this is all the time I get
I’m not spending it on regret

[Backing vocals: “No regret! No regret!”]

Give me the whole damn show

[Instrumental flourish: piano and guitar]

[Verse 2: jaunty glam-rock groove]

I have loved the wrong occasions
Trusted people I should not
Said goodbye before I meant it
Stayed too long when I should’ve walked

I have stumbled into fortune
I have squandered perfect days
I have stood beneath the spotlight
And still wondered who deserved the praise

[Half-time]

I was cruel when I was frightened
I was brave when no one knew
I have been a contradiction
And every contradiction’s true

[Pre-Chorus: theatrical build]

I won’t carve myself to pieces
Just to fit a cleaner frame

Every beautiful disaster
Still answers to my name

[Chorus: bigger]

Give me the whole damn show
The highs, the lows
The nights I lost control

Give me every wrong turn
Every bridge I burned
Every lesson that I learned

I’ll take the glory
I’ll take the blame
I’ll wear them both beneath my name

If this is all the time I get
I’m not spending it on regret

[Choir: “Let it go! Let it go!”]

Give me the whole damn show

[Instrumental Break: flamboyant guitar solo over pounding piano]

[Bridge: stripped down, intimate vocal]

There is no version waiting
Where I never made mistakes

No perfect road behind me
No life I should replace

There’s only this collection
Of the things I chose and missed

The people that I loved enough
To leave fingerprints on this

[Single piano chord]

And maybe I was foolish
Maybe I was right

Maybe both can live together
In a single life

[Build: drums returning slowly]

I don’t need forgiveness
From the person I might have been

I just need another morning

And the nerve to start again

[Explosive transition]

[Final Chorus: massive operatic arrangement]

Give me the whole damn show
The fire, the snow
The places I still want to go

Give me every heartbreak
Every risk I take
Every promise I might break

I’ll take the laughter
I’ll take the tears
I’ll take the weight of all these years

I’ll kiss the future on the mouth
And see what all this life’s about

[Choir: “Live it now! Live it now!”]

Give me the whole damn show

[Key Change]

I want the mornings
I want the nights

I want the foolish city lights

I want the dancing
I want the rain

I want to fall in love again

I want the failures
I want the wins

I want the trouble that begins

When you stop asking life for proof

And finally let yourself cut loose

[Break: silence]

[Lead vocal, almost spoken]

I was never meant to be flawless

I was meant to be here

[Final crescendo]

So turn it up!

[Choir]
TURN IT UP!

[Lead]
Raise the curtain!

[Choir]
RAISE IT UP!

[Lead]
If the ending comes tomorrow

Then tonight I’m showing up!

[Huge guitar chord]

[Outro: piano, choir, handclaps]

The good, the bad
The strange, the true

Every road that brought me through

[Backing vocals fading]
The whole damn show
The whole damn show

[Lead, quietly]

I wouldn’t trade it

[Final piano chord]