AFTERIMAGE

[Intro — soft synth haze, distant vocal] After... after... I still see you when the lights go out. [Verse 1 — REI: intimate, fragile but controlled] I closed the door but the color stayed Gold on the wall where your shadow played Every streetlight knows your name Flashes back like a broken frame I tell myself I'm over it Then the dark starts showing it One blink, and you're there again Burned in deeper than my skin [Pre-Chorus — REI + RINA: widening harmony] (REI) Don't call it love if it only hurts at night (RINA) Don't call it gone if it still leaves light (REI) I run from the glow but it follows behind (All) You're the picture I can't rewind [Chorus — All three, floating but powerful] Afterimage, afterimage You fade out, but you stay in my vision Afterimage, afterimage A little ghost in the neon collision I don't want you back, I just want it clear Why do I still see you here? Afterimage, afterimage You disappear, but you don't disappear [Verse 2 — RINA: cool, low, precise] Cold glass, midnight, empty train I count reflections to forget your face Every window tells the truth There's a version of me still watching you I don't reach, I don't regret But some lights don't leave me yet If memory is just a signal burn Why does it still know where to turn? [Post-Chorus — airy echo] After... after... Still in my eyes After... after... Still in the light [Bridge — NOA: spoken rhythmic flow, quiet and direct] I remember less than I pretend Little sparks at the bitter end A room, a word, a line we crossed Nothing loud, but something lost Maybe ghosts don't need a sound Maybe light can haunt you down I shut it off, I cut the wire Still one frame keeps catching fire [Final Chorus — All three, fuller, REI ad-libs] Afterimage, afterimage You fade out, but you stay in my vision Afterimage, afterimage A little ghost in the neon collision I don't want you back, I just want it clear Why do I still see you here? Afterimage, afterimage You disappear, but you don't disappear [Outro — fading synth, breath] (REI: whispered) I still see it. (All: distant) Afterimage...