Gemini's Conceptual "The Life of a Showgirl" Lyrics (Prior to the Performance Day 1)

Hello everyone, and welcome back to another post. These next weeks, I'm going to do something very similar to HFE94, and post something The Life of a Showgirl related every day up until the albums release! I meant to start this yesterday, but Saturday slipped away into a moment in time. Today, I had Gemini (because ChatGPT wouldn't follow my directions) create conceptual lyrics for every song on The Life of a Showgirl, just like I did for The Tortured Poets Department! Here they are, starting with the confirmed lead single...

1. The Fate of Ophelia

(Verse 1)

Waterlilies on the current, a dress of silk and lace

Everyone said you were crazy, you just needed some space

Your brother's words like heavy stones, your father's endless doubt

Did they ever see you, or just what they were without?

A tangled web of expectations, a crown of thorns they made

And the river called your name, a promise unafraid

(Chorus)

And the fate of Ophelia, a whisper on the breeze

Drowning in the expectation, falling to her knees

They'll write your name in tragedies, a footnote in their play

But the river knows a secret, you didn't float away

(Verse 2)

The court has their suspicions, the king has all his lies

But you were done with all their madness, behind those tear-filled eyes

They'll say you lost your mind to madness, a love story gone wrong

But you were just so tired of singing their specific song

You traded all their poisoned flowers for a cool and gentle stream

And finally let your body go, released into a dream

(Chorus)

And the fate of Ophelia, a whisper on the breeze

Drowning in the expectation, falling to her knees

They'll write your name in tragedies, a footnote in their play

But the river knows a secret, you didn't float away

(Bridge)

You found a different country, a life they'll never see

Where the water's just a mirror and you're finally free

No crown, no court, no Hamlet, just the sky and the cold ground

A kingdom built of silence where you can't hear a single sound

(Outro)

Oh, the fate of Ophelia, they'll never understand

The life you found on the other side of the riverbank

The life you found on the other side...

2. Elizabeth Taylor

(Verse 1)

They gave you diamonds on your birthday, a new one every year

But all the press could talk about was what you had to fear

The gossip rags, the leading men, the rings upon your hand

Did anyone just see the woman, lost in Hollywoodland?

A child star with a woman's heart, a burden you couldn't shake

A public record of every single choice you had to make

(Chorus)

Oh, Elizabeth Taylor, a star in black and white

A love story for the masses, burning through the night

You chased a feeling, a forever, they called you far too fast

But you knew that a single moment was all that you could ask

(Verse 2)

They said you were a scarlet woman, a villain in the play

When all you ever wanted was someone to make you stay

Through every wedding and divorce, the headlines screaming loud

You were just a little girl, hiding in a crowded room, a crowd

Of people who all wanted something, a piece of you to own

And you just kept on falling for the first person you called home

(Chorus)

Oh, Elizabeth Taylor, a star in black and white

A love story for the masses, burning through the night

You chased a feeling, a forever, they called you far too fast

But you knew that a single moment was all that you could ask

(Bridge)

They can talk about the jewelry, the villas and the fame

But they'll never know the loneliness that came with your own name

You wore your heart on every sleeve, a tragic, velvet thing

And you just kept on living, to see what life would bring

(Outro)

Yeah, they'll say you had a million lives, but you just had one heart

And you lived it so damn loud, before you fell apart

Elizabeth Taylor, a legend in the dark.

3. Opalite

(Verse 1)

You look like a firefly trapped inside a glass

A thousand colors on the surface, a love that won't quite last

They told you that you were a crystal, strong and pure and true

But you're just a mimic of something they can use

A perfect imitation of the real and honest thing

A light show that gets brighter every single time you sing

(Chorus)

Opalite, they call you, a stone they can't define

All the secrets that you're holding, all the lies you've had to shine

A manufactured beauty, a glow that's just a trick

'Cause when the light hits different, you're just a little plastic brick

(Verse 2)

They told you that your shimmer was a sign of being blessed

But you know that your fragility is putting you to the test

You're so scared of someone scratching and finding out the truth

That all your sparkle is a lie that you've been living since your youth

You're a pretty little souvenir that they will just forget

A temporary fascination they'll have to regret

(Chorus)

Opalite, they call you, a stone they can't define

All the secrets that you're holding, all the lies you've had to shine

A manufactured beauty, a glow that's just a trick

'Cause when the light hits different, you're just a little plastic brick

(Bridge)

You want to be a diamond, you want to be a pearl

But you just feel like a fake, in a real, real world

You break beneath the pressure, you crack and lose your light

And they all say they're sorry that you couldn't stay so bright

(Outro)

Opalite, they gave you all the names and all the things

But all you ever wanted was a song you could really sing

You're not a crystal, no, you're not a stone.

You're just a girl, who needs to find a way to get back home.

4. Father Figure

(Verse 1)

You came into my life so gentle, a ghost of what I craved

A safe harbor from the wreckage, a memory I saved

You taught me how to hold my own, to stand up tall and true

A lesson from a stranger that my bloodline never knew

You never yelled, you never left, you just listened when I spoke

And you fixed the things inside me that my family had broke

(Chorus)

And now you're just a father figure, a hero in my mind

A quiet strength I cling to, the only kind I'd find

'Cause you gave me a foundation, a compass when I'm lost

And I'll be paying back that quiet debt no matter what the cost

(Verse 2)

I see you in the way you laugh, a comfort I can't place

A look of pride, a quiet smile, a calm look on your face

You're not my blood, you're not my name, but you're a part of me

A different kind of family that I was brave enough to see

You showed me what a healthy love could be, a gentle hand

And you were just a human being, a man, who understood and knew my brand

(Chorus)

And now you're just a father figure, a hero in my mind

A quiet strength I cling to, the only kind I'd find

'Cause you gave me a foundation, a compass when I'm lost

And I'll be paying back that quiet debt no matter what the cost

(Bridge)

And all the things they did wrong, you made up for it all

You answered every single time I made a midnight call

You're not a replacement, no, you're just an addition to the cast

A better kind of ending to a story that moved far too fast

(Outro)

Father figure, a hero in my mind...

The only kind I'd find...

A hero in my mind.

5. Eldest Daughter

(Verse 1)

You learned to walk on eggshells, so no one else would break

The first to learn the family's rules, the first to make a mistake

The first to mend the broken things, the first to hold the line

The keeper of the histories, the keeper of the time

You always had to be the strong one, the one who held her ground

The one who never crumbled when the world was falling down

(Chorus)

Oh, eldest daughter, with the weight of all the years

The steady hand, the silent tears, the conquering of fears

You never get to be a kid, you just get to decide

Who you're going to have to be for everyone inside

(Verse 2)

You were the test case for their hopes, the first one to be told

The family name, the legacy, a story to unfold

You watched the younger ones get spoiled, with the freedom you were denied

And you just swallowed all the bitterness and kept it deep inside

'Cause you're the one they look to, the one who has to know

The one who's always first to bloom and last to get to grow

(Chorus)

Oh, eldest daughter, with the weight of all the years

The steady hand, the silent tears, the conquering of fears

You never get to be a kid, you just get to decide

Who you're going to have to be for everyone inside

(Bridge)

You'll never get to be the damsel, you'll always have to save

The younger sister and the brother and the love that you all crave

You'll be the one to pay the bills, to make the calls and pray

That all the burdens you've been holding will just go away someday

(Outro)

Eldest daughter, with the weight of all the years...

The steady hand, the silent tears...

Oh, eldest daughter.

6. Ruin The Friendship

(Verse 1)

We're laughing on the phone line, we're sharing all our fears

I could tell you everything, all the months and all the years

But there's a hum beneath the surface, a current in the space

And I'm so scared to say it, to fall right on my face

I can see it in your eyes sometimes, a second that you hold

A fleeting kind of something that's a story to be told

(Chorus)

'Cause I could ruin the friendship, with two words out of line

Cross a boundary we've been walking, hoping you'd read my mind

I could say "I love you," and it could change it all

I could ruin the friendship, and watch the whole thing fall

(Verse 2)

We get coffee, we get dinner, we're the kind of easy pair

That everyone just looks at and wonders if we're there

But we're not, and it's a fiction, a line we've drawn in sand

And I'm afraid to cross it 'cause I'm terrified to land

On the other side of this thing and find that you were just a friend

And I've lost the only thing I've had to make it to the end

(Chorus)

'Cause I could ruin the friendship, with two words out of line

Cross a boundary we've been walking, hoping you'd read my mind

I could say "I love you," and it could change it all

I could ruin the friendship, and watch the whole thing fall

(Bridge)

And maybe it's the right thing, to tell you how I feel

To risk the quiet, simple thing, to see if it is real

To see if all the tension and the energy and doubt

Is just a little fire that's trying to get out

(Outro)

But I could ruin the friendship, and watch the whole thing fall...

I could ruin the friendship, and watch the whole thing fall.

7. Actually Romantic

(Verse 1)

No grand gestures, no movie scenes, no roses on the floor

Just you remembering the coffee I like, and what I want at the corner store

It's you picking up my dry cleaning, no questions and no fuss

And me just laughing at the fact that you remember all of us

The us that's a whole different thing than what they sell on TV

The us that's just a Friday night, and you just holding me

(Chorus)

And it's not a fairy tale, no, it's not a fantasy

It's just the quiet, simple way you look at me

And it's not a dream I had, it's a love that feels so new

'Cause it's just the normal, little things that make me fall for you

This is actually romantic.

(Verse 2)

They talk about the fireworks, the kisses in the rain

The sweeping songs about the love that can't be filled with pain

But they don't talk about the arguments, the tears and all the strain

Or how we just sit through it all and learn to love again

They don't talk about the moments when we're just so tired out

And we just hold each other and there's no room for any doubt

(Chorus)

And it's not a fairy tale, no, it's not a fantasy

It's just the quiet, simple way you look at me

And it's not a dream I had, it's a love that feels so new

'Cause it's just the normal, little things that make me fall for you

This is actually romantic.

(Bridge)

You don't need a white horse, or a castle on a hill

You just need to be yourself and be perfectly still

You're not a knight in shining armor, you're just a good, good man

And I'm a better person, 'cause you're just holding my hand

(Outro)

This is actually romantic, the quiet and the slow

The simple, honest feeling that makes my whole heart grow

Yeah, this is actually romantic.

8. Wi$h Li$t

(Verse 1)

I got a Wi$h Li$t, a mile long, a scroll of things I want

Another bag, a brand new car, a house to make me feel so nonchalant

I got a Wi$h Li$t, a mile long, a list of things I need

To prove that I am worthy, if I just plant the right old seed

And I'm so tired of the hunger, the feeling that I'm less

Until I have the right old things, until I feel success

(Chorus)

I'm just a walking Wi$h Li$t, a shopping cart of dreams

A thousand perfect outfits, and a dozen silver streams

And I'm so afraid of having nothing, of being left behind

So I just keep on wanting all the things I can't quite find

(Verse 2)

The magazines tell me to buy this, the influencers all say that

You need this perfect body, and you need this perfect hat

You need a dozen little things to prove that you are fine

To prove that all the emptiness you feel is just a sign

That you just need to shop some more, and find a bigger space

A bigger house, a bigger car, a bigger kind of race

(Chorus)

I'm just a walking Wi$h Li$t, a shopping cart of dreams

A thousand perfect outfits, and a dozen silver streams

And I'm so afraid of having nothing, of being left behind

So I just keep on wanting all the things I can't quite find

(Bridge)

And what if all the things I have, are just enough for me?

What if all the quiet joy is the only thing I need to see?

What if all the empty space is just the room I need to grow?

And what if all the wishing is the only thing that's slowing me down, and making me feel low?

(Outro)

My Wi$h Li$t is a prison, a list of all my chains

And I'm tired of the wanting, and all the endless pains

Yeah, my Wi$h Li$t is a prison.

9. Wood

(Verse 1)

They told me that my heart was made of something tough and strong

Something that could never break, that would never get it wrong

They said it was like granite, or a kind of hardened stone

But lately it feels different, like it's been left alone

And all the things you said to me, the quiet, tender lies

They feel like splinters underneath my skin and in my eyes

(Chorus)

'Cause my heart is made of wood, and you can carve it and you can burn

And all the scars you left are lessons that I've learned

My heart is made of wood, and you can break it and you can bend

And all the things you did will be here 'til the bitter end

(Verse 2)

You told me I was stubborn, and I was, to a point

But you never saw the softness, you never saw the joint

The places where I'm fragile, the places I can break

The places I can splinter for my own damn sake

And you just kept on carving and you just kept on sawing

And I kept on letting you, and I kept on just drawing

(Chorus)

'Cause my heart is made of wood, and you can carve it and you can burn

And all the scars you left are lessons that I've learned

My heart is made of wood, and you can break it and you can bend

And all the things you did will be here 'til the bitter end

(Bridge)

But wood can be a tree, it can be a home, a shelter for the birds

It can be a fireplace that gives off warmth and tender words

And all the things you broke in me, can be a different kind of strength

A different kind of story, a different kind of length

(Outro)

My heart is made of wood, and I'm letting it grow

Yeah, my heart is made of wood, and I'm letting it show

I'm letting it show.

10. CANCELLED!

(Verse 1)

I made a joke, it wasn't right, a moment of poor taste

And now the entire world is here, to put me in my place

They've pulled my tweets from way back when, a story from my past

And now they've made a judgement, and they've made it far too fast

I'm just a trending topic, a headline for a day

The digital town square is here to take my life away

(Chorus)

CANCELLED! A public execution for the whole world to see

They're tearing down the reputation that I thought was me

They're shouting from the rooftops, "We've caught her in a lie!"

And I can't even get a single chance to try to justify

(Verse 2)

The articles are brutal, the comments are so cruel

They've painted me a villain, and they're using me as fuel

For all their own frustrations, their anger and their pain

And I can't even tell them that I'm sorry for the strain

I'm just a symbol of something, a movement they can own

And they've completely lost the plot and left me all alone

(Chorus)

CANCELLED! A public execution for the whole world to see

They're tearing down the reputation that I thought was me

They're shouting from the rooftops, "We've caught her in a lie!"

And I can't even get a single chance to try to justify

(Bridge)

And what if all the people who are so damn mad at me

Have done the very same things that no one gets to see?

And what if all the outrage is a performance for their friends?

And what if no one really knows how this damn story ends?

(Outro)

CANCELLED!

I'm just a villain in their play, for them to just discard.

CANCELLED!

I'm just a lesson, and they're judging me so hard.

CANCELLED!

11. Honey

(Verse 1)

You taste like honey, golden and so sweet

A sticky kind of feeling I can't seem to beat

You're warm and you are comforting, a feeling on my tongue

A kind of a nostalgia for a place I used to be young

And I'm so scared of loving this, 'cause I know you can turn

And all the sweetness can just go and all the good can burn

(Chorus)

Honey, you're so pure and so damn rich

But I'm so scared of what you'll be, a sting or just a niche

A temporary comfort, a sugar-coated lie

And I'm so scared of the moment when you tell me goodbye

(Verse 2)

You're a golden hour memory, a whisper in my ear

A feeling that's so beautiful it makes me wanna fear

That all of this is fleeting, that all of this is just a phase

And I'll be left with nothing but the memory of our haze

And all the things you've promised me, the future that you paint

It all just feels so perfect that it feels like a restraint

(Chorus)

Honey, you're so pure and so damn rich

But I'm so scared of what you'll be, a sting or just a niche

A temporary comfort, a sugar-coated lie

And I'm so scared of the moment when you tell me goodbye

(Bridge)

And maybe it's just honey, maybe it's just a treat

Maybe I should stop myself from fearing all the heat

And all the love and all the care you give so easily

And just let myself get lost in what you mean to me

(Outro)

You're honey, golden and so sweet...

I'm so scared of the defeat.

You're honey.

12. The Life of a Showgirl (featuring Sabrina Carpenter)

(Taylor)

(Verse 1)

They gave me rhinestones on my corset, a feather in my hair

Told me to smile for all the boys who were sitting over there

They told me that my job was simple, to be a pretty face

To dance around the spotlight, and hold my little place

(Sabrina)

(Verse 2)

They said I was a natural, a starlet on the rise

And all the men would look at me with hungry, fevered eyes

They said that this was glamorous, a life that I should crave

But every single night I had to be a different kind of brave

(Taylor & Sabrina)

(Chorus)

The life of a showgirl, a little song and dance

A little bit of sparkle, and a fragile, little chance

To be something, to be someone, to feel the heat and light

And then get to the end of the show and just go home at night

(Taylor)

(Verse 3)

I've learned to smile when I am tired, and laugh when I'm in pain

I've learned to dance through all the hurt and through the endless rain

I've learned to take a compliment and make it sound so real

And I've forgotten what it's like to know what I can feel

(Sabrina)

(Verse 4)

They tell us we're so lucky, to be a part of this

They don't know all the loneliness, the loves we have to miss

They see the costume and the glitter, the perfect, pretty face

And they don't see the woman who just wants to leave this place

(Taylor & Sabrina)

(Chorus)

The life of a showgirl, a little song and dance

A little bit of sparkle, and a fragile, little chance

To be something, to be someone, to feel the heat and light

And then get to the end of the show and just go home at night

(Bridge)

(Taylor)

And one day I'll be old and gone, and they'll remember me

As just a little part of a forgotten history

(Sabrina)

And maybe I'll regret it, all the things I had to lose

Just to get a little bit of fame, just to get to choose

(Outro)

(Taylor & Sabrina)

But the show must go on, and the light must shine so bright

And we'll keep on dancing in the middle of the night

The life of a showgirl...

The life of a showgirl...