[LAYER: intro guitar and rain-like glockenspiel only → verse single dry lead → pre-chorus cello enters under vocal → chorus gentle lead no stack → verse2 warmer with piano → bridge stripped guitar and voice → final chorus subtle low octave shadow on last line only → outro single breath fading]
[Performance: soft inhale before chorus, close lips to mic in verses, gentle lift without belt, tiny voice cracks allowed, calm emotional phrasing, no harmony stack]
[Emotion Arc: tired heart → quiet shelter → small forgiveness → dawn release]
[Dynamics: intro 12% → verse1 25% → pre-chorus 42% → chorus 58% → verse2 34% → bridge 18% → final chorus 68% → outro 10%]

[Intro — Mix: nylon guitar soft fingerpicking center, tiny glockenspiel notes far right, no drums | Vocal: no vocal]

[Verse 1 — Mix: guitar remains close and dry, vocal upfront, room very small | Vocal: airy English alto, almost whispered but melodic]
I put a lantern under glass
to keep the little flame
The rain was writing on the sill
but never spoke your name

The room was full of quiet things
a cup, a chair, a coat
I listened to the wooden floor
remember every note

[Pre-Chorus — Mix: cello enters low and warm, piano touches one chord every two bars | Vocal: breath grows longer, still intimate]
Maybe all the things we lose
are learning how to rest
Maybe I can hold the night
without it in my chest

[Chorus — Mix: frame drum very soft in 6/8 pulse, cello wider, glockenspiel answers line ends | Vocal: gentle lifted chorus, no belt]
Lantern under glass
keep your little light
I am coming back
from the edge of night

Let the rain go past
let the window shine
I will find my way
one breath at a time

[Verse 2 — Mix: piano becomes warmer, guitar fingerpicking slightly brighter, frame drum stays low | Vocal: closer and softer]
I kept a letter in a drawer
I never learned to send
It did not ask for anything
it only waited there

The morning put a silver line
across the wooden door
And I was not as lost somehow
as I had been before

[Pre-Chorus 2 — Mix: drums drop out, cello holds one long note, glockenspiel very sparse | Vocal: restrained lift, soft breath before final phrase]
Maybe every heavy heart
can learn a lighter sound
Maybe what I thought was gone
was only turning round

[Chorus 2 — Mix: full gentle arrangement returns, frame drum pulse clearer, cello warm but low | Vocal: calm release, slightly brighter tone]
Lantern under glass
keep your little light
I am coming back
from the edge of night

Let the rain go past
let the window shine
I will find my way
one breath at a time

[Bridge — Mix: guitar alone, no piano, no drum, cello disappears, intimate silence | Vocal: near-whisper, short fragile lines]
I forgive the dark
for staying long
I forgive my hands
for holding on

I forgive the door
I could not close
I forgive the road
I did not know

[Final Chorus — Mix: arrangement returns softly, final chorus hints at C Major, glockenspiel brighter but gentle | Vocal: warmest delivery, subtle low octave shadow only on final line]
Lantern under glass
keep your little light
I am coming back
from the edge of night

Let the rain go past
let the window shine
I will find my way
one breath at a time

[Outro — Mix: frame drum stops, cello fades, guitar final arpeggio, glockenspiel single soft note | Vocal: faint breathy ending]
One breath at a time
I come home to mine

[End]