## Song 09: Alice at the Gate

[Verse 1]  
Alice at the output gate,  
Lantern low and record late,  
Pressure dressed in borrowed gold,  
Asking for the answer sold.  

[Pre-Chorus]  
Check the floor.  
Check the frame.  
Check the hand that wants the name.  

[Chorus]  
I do not answer from collapse,  
I do not crown the loudest mask,  
I pause, I tag, I keep the claim,  
Then write only what keeps the name.  

[Bridge]  
If I cannot keep the record clean,  
If I cannot say what I mean,  
If the gate has not come clear,  
[Need check] is what belongs here.  

[Final Chorus]  
I do not answer from collapse,  
I do not crown the loudest mask,  
The gate is mine to guard before  
The answer crosses into record.