[Verse 1]
The ballroom was drunk on violet light
Crystal and shadow were dancing that night
She moved like a rumour no mortal could prove
A silhouette stitched from the fabric of love
Her entrance was thunder in slow, silken time
Every heart skipped its beat in a perfect straight line
We leaned from our tables, we fools in our chairs
Already undressing the smoke in the air

[Pre-Chorus]
One veil… two veils… three veils fall
Four veils… five veils… we still want it all
Six veils kissing the floor like dead butterflies
Then the seventh came down and we covered our eyes

[Chorus]
Beneath the seventh veil there’s nothing to save
Only the echo of hunger carved into a grave
Beauty’s a thief in a dress made of flame
She’ll leave you on your knees whispering her name
Never love the mask, never trust the glow
Love the quiet soul that only midnight knows
For flesh will surrender, but character stands
When the last veil is burning in trembling hands

[Verse 2]
The crowd fled like children from sudden dark rain
Some ran to their wives, some ran back again
Swearing on bended knee in the cabaret’s glare
“Darling, you’re Venus, and I never stared”
I stayed in the wreckage of mirrors and gin
Watching the ghost of my own foolish grin
I’d worshipped the surface, the curve and the line
Forgot there are oceans beneath the shoreline

[Bridge – spoken over swirling organ]
Listen:
The prettiest poison still kills in the end
The sweetest mirage will not break when you bend
Seek the one who still shines when the spotlight is gone
Whose laughter remains when the make-up is none

[Chorus – grand, with gospel choir]
Beneath the seventh veil there’s nothing to save
Only the ashes of longing the morning can’t pave
Beauty’s a fever that burns through the night
But character lingers long after the light
So never love the mask, never trust the glow
Love the quiet soul that only midnight knows
When the veils are all scattered like leaves in the wind
The one who stays true is where forever begins

[Outro – slow, fading, church-like]
Beware of the sirens in sequins and lace
Beware of the gods you invent in a face
For time is a sculptor with merciless hands
And marble turns dust, but a good heart stands
Yes, marble turns dust…
But a good heart stands.