[Verse 1] Candlelight is stuttering low against the wall Something in the fabric starts to breathe and stir and crawl "The silken sad uncertain rustling of each purple curtain" That's just fancy talk for curtains whispering in the hall [Pre-Chorus] Every thread a little hiss, every fold a little sigh Hear the s-sounds slither — that's the poet's clever lie Stitching sound to silence, letting syllables collide [Chorus] Darkness there and nothing more Just an empty, open door A shiver built into a drum inside his chest "Fantastic terrors" — meaning dreamed up, nothing less He said it's just a late guest knocking, nothing more But the hollow at the threshold wants to argue for the floor [Verse 2] So he coaches his own courage like a shaky second hand Practicing the sentence that he hopes will help him stand Scarce — that only means hardly, hardly brave, hardly bold Entreating means he's begging the silence to unfold [Verse 3] "Sir," he tries, "or Madam, truly your forgiveness I implore" Implore, you understand now, simply means to beg for more He was napping, he explains, and you tapped so very light He flings the door wide open to apologize for the night [Chorus] Darkness there and nothing more Nothing waiting, nothing poor Fortune promised him a traveler, tired and polite Instead the hallway swallows every candle-colored light He had practiced every courtesy, but the dark gives back no more Just his own apology still hanging at the door [Bridge] Each time he says it — nothing more — the phrase gets smaller still Shrinking like a coin dropped down an endless, dim stairwell First it calmed him, now it mocks him, hollow as the hall Nothing more, and nothing more, and nothing there at all [Outro] He stands there with the cold air curling round his sleeve No visitor, no reason, nothing he can quite believe Darkness there, the door wide open, silence at his core — He steps back slow, still whispering: nothing more, nothing more [Final Chorus] Darkness there and nothing more Just an empty, open door A single phrase repeating like a bell inside his skull Nothing more, he tells himself, though the darkness feels so full He begged the guest's forgiveness, then he opened wide the door That same relentless answer: nothing, nothing, nothing more Nothing more, nothing more, nothing ever, ever more
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