Portrait on the Wall

[male vocal] [Style: Britpop, Alternative Rock, Piano-driven Ballad, Spoken Word] [Tempo: Moderate, reflective] [Voice: Male, British, tenor, refined but weary] [Intro] (Piano, simple and melancholic) [Sound of rain against a window pane] [Verse 1] Another morning in this postcard-perfect scene The hedgerows trimmed, the silver coffee machine A house that’s older than the crown Too many rooms to walk around The Guardian crossword, half-complete A life that’s orderly and neat [Spoken] 「The gardener knows my name. The tailor knows my inseam. I’m not entirely sure my wife knows which one I am anymore.」 [Pre-Chorus] But the wheels, they spin on the Aston Martin The whiskey’s smooth, a work of art in Crystal glasses, cut so fine To match this hollow heart of mine [Chorus] And I’ve got acres of green And a lingering sheen of success But I’m just a man in a suit On a handsome estate Learning to live with the ache Of being perpetually late To my own life [Verse 2] School ties and old boys’ networks, what a game A first-class ticket, but I can’t recall the name Of the town I’m passing through On this trip I never chose to do The charity gala, the silent auction A practiced, hollow sense of motion [Spoken] 「I made my first million before I understood why people laughed at my jokes. I haven’t figured out the second part yet.」 [Guitar solo, tasteful, slightly distorted] [Sound of a champagne cork popping, distant laughter] [Bridge] [Piano swells] I thought by thirty-five, the fog would lift I’d feel the gift, not just the drift This portrait on the wall, a man I’m meant to be But he’s a stranger staring back at me He’s a stranger staring back… [Chorus] And I’ve got acres of green And a lingering sheen of success But I’m just a man in a suit On a handsome estate Learning to live with the ache Of being perpetually late To my own life (My own life) [Outro] [Sound of a fireplace crackling] [Piano fades to single, repeated notes] So I’ll pour another one And watch the setting sun Through leaded glass Another day that passed 「Perhaps I’ll buy a horse.」 [Soft, dry chuckle] [Sound of ice clinking in a glass] [Piano note hangs and fades to silence]