Mia Del Soul, The Soul Jazz Era Marquee Lights

The marquee is missing two letters again
The sign still says my name, but it says it in rain
I walk through the side door, the stagehands all know
There is a kind of courage that only old theaters show
The house lights tremble, the band counts four
I have been afraid before, I am not afraid anymore
Under the marquee lights, I come alive
All the nights I nearly quit are the reason I survived
Let the city see the cracks, let it hear the honest sound
I was never made for hiding when the curtain comes around
I sing for the woman who paid in the back
For the old man humming softly when the rhythm comes back
For every empty seat that taught me how to stay
When applause was thin and the rent was due that day
Glamour is not a dress, it is the life you chose
It is the scar beneath the powder and the way the voice still grows
So raise the house lights slowly, let the last note fly
I have got a song to finish, and I am not saying goodbye
Under the marquee lights, I come alive
All the nights I nearly quit are the reason I survived
Let the city see the cracks, let it hear the honest sound
I was never made for hiding when the curtain comes around
The sign may lose a letter, the street may change its name
I will still walk through that door and light the flame