1. Once Upon a Time (Intro)

(Sound of a library ladder sliding across a rail. A heavy book opens. The beat is a simple, dusty drum loop with a haunting cello.)

Verse: Gather 'round the fire, let the smoke fill your lungs, I’m speaking in the riddles and the ancient-old tongues. This ain’t about me, it’s about the ghosts in the hall, The ones who rose to glory and the ones who had to fall. Life is just a chapter in a book you didn't write, I’m just here to read the pages by the flickering light. Flip the leaf, clear the throat, let the rhythm prevail, Welcome to the volume, welcome to the Tales.

2. The Boy Who Cried Wolf (The Hustler’s Regret)

(A tense, mid-tempo track with a sharp snare. It tells the story of a liar who finally tells the truth when it’s too late.)

Verse 1: He spent his whole life selling dreams in a bag, Riding ‘round the city with a boast and a brag. Told his mama he was working, told his girl he was straight, While he was playing poker with a hand full of fate. He called for help on Monday just to see who would run, He called for help on Tuesday just to have a little fun. Chorus: But when the shadows got long and the fangs came out, Nobody moved a muscle when they heard him shout. He cried "Wolf" so many times the forest went deaf, Now he’s staring at the moon with nothing but his breath.

3. Paper Wings (The Dreamer’s Flight)

(Atmospheric and ethereal. Focuses on a young girl trying to escape her environment through art.)

Verse 1: She lives on the fifth floor, no elevator light, Drawing pictures of the birds in the middle of the night. Her sketchbook is a passport, her pencil is a key, She’s painting every sunset that she’s never gonna see. Her daddy’s in a bottle and her mama’s in a haze, But she’s building up a kingdom in a cardboard maze. Verse 2: She strapped the pages to her arms with a bit of some twine, Stood on the edge of the roof, feeling divine. She didn't want to fall, she just wanted to soar, Away from the static and the cracks in the floor. The city is a cage, but the mind is a sky, It’s a tale about the ones who are brave enough to fly.

4. The Man in the Iron Mask (The Corporate Ghost)

(A cold, industrial beat. Explores the loss of identity in the 9-to-5 grind.)

Verse 1: Suit pressed sharp like a razor, soul blunt as a brick, Clocking in at nine, feeling spiritually sick. He traded in his name for a number and a cubicle, The funeral for his passion was elegant and beautiful. He wears a smile like a mask made of cold, hard steel, Forgot the way his own heartbeat is supposed to feel. Chorus: He’s the king of the spreadsheets, the god of the file, But he hasn't seen his own reflection in a long, long while. Another story in the city, another man in the mask, Burning out the candle for a never-ending task.

5. Epilogue (Outro)

(The beat fades into a solo piano melody. The sound of the book closing.)

Spoken Word: Some stories end in a period. Some end in an ellipsis... Most of them are written in pencil so we can erase the mistakes. But the ink? The ink is the truth. Your life is a story. Make sure it’s one worth telling when the lights go down. The book is closed. For now.