Lyrics: Kevin Kathrail Owney Jr
Music: Kevin Kathrail Owney Jr
(Verse 1)
I got a ribbon on my hat and a secret in my sleeve,
A velvet smile, and a satin sigh, I got stories up my sleeve.
The cabaret shadows, with neon on my skin,
I waltz the past in polka dots, play the night like sin.
(Pre-Chorus/lapping rhythm)
Snap, clap, heartbeat — swing it soft, lay it low,
You lean in close like a secret, but do you really know?
(Chorus/call-and-answer)
What do you see when you look at me? (Tell me, baby)
Do you see the jazz, the jive, the ghost of who I used to be? (Or do you?)
Do you see the gloss or the cracks underneath?
What do you see when you look at me? — Mirrorbeat, set me free.
(Post-Chorus Hook, scat/echo)
Shoo-bop, doo-wah, mirror, heart, repeat —
Skiddle-snap, tell me, what’s the shape you meet?
(Verse 2)
Lipstick letters on a cocktail glass, I’m dancing with my doubt,
A gramophone lullaby hums the names that I cannot live without.
Cold brass kisses, warm R&B, I move between the lines,
You clock the tux, you tip your hat — do you read the fine designs?
(Pre-Chorus)
Latch the rhythm to my chest, and let the bass do the talk,
You’re staring at the art, but you never read the chalk.
(Chorus)
What do you see when you look at me? (Speak up, love)
Do you see the laugh, the lull, the long-lost lullaby above? (Tell me)
Do you see the dance I do to hide the sleepless nights?
What do you see when you look at me? — Mirrorbeat under lights.
(Bridge/sultry, dropping to half-time)
Strip the costume, check the seams, there’s a heart that hums and hides,
Under sequins, under steam, under every midnight glide.
Do you touch the surface, do you glance beneath?
Or do you love the portrait more than the breath beneath?
(Bridge, Scat/Break, playful & syncopated)
Ba-da-bump, brass drum thump — show me you can see,
Doo-wop whisper, satin hush — read the margin of me.
Clap twice, step in line, mirror cracks, still fine —
Tell the band, tell the moon, tell my echo to be kind.
(Chorus, big & layered harmonies)
What do you see when you look at me? (Lay it on)
Do you see the drummer’s pause, the place where I break free? (Or do you?)
Do you see the midnight promise or the promise I refuse to keep?
What do you see when you look at me? — Mirrorbeat, don’t sleep.
(Breakdown, electro flourish/whispered)
Look closer now — not the mask, not the hat, not the show.
Look closer now — feel the pulse, feel the glow.
I’m more than a silhouette, more than the glitter and the gold,
I’m the song that keeps me whole when the band gets cold.
(Final Chorus, crescendo & R&B lift)
What do you see when you look at me? (Now tell me)
Do you see the love, the hurt, the hunger and the harmony?
Do you see the man, do you see a dream, do you see someone who’ll stay?
What do you see when you look at me? — Mirrorbeat, don’t fade away.
(Outro/soft & swinging fade)
So step a little closer, let the trumpet bend the night —
If you wanna know my story, darling, you gotta hold me tight.
What do you see? — What do you see? — Mirrorbeat, keep me bright...