[Verse 1]
In smoky halls where jazz notes play
She danced with him in shades of grey
While I conducted from the stage
My heart kept time with mounting rage
Every note a painful sting
Each crescendo makes me swing
[Chorus]
Crimson nights in old Montmartre
Where love and jazz tear us apart
Baby, you played me like a fool
Breaking every golden rule
Now I lead this wild parade
Through every note that we betrayed
[Verse 2]
Brass section's blazing hot tonight
My fingers snap, the timing's right
She's in the crowd with him again
While I'm here making diamonds from this pain
Watch me turn this heartache sweet
Into rhythm that makes feet complete
[Bridge]
From Paris streets to late-night shows
The band plays on, nobody knows
The fire burning in my soul
Makes this music rock and roll
Damn the day you walked away
But thank you for the price I paid
[Chorus]
Crimson nights in old Montmartre
Where love and jazz tear us apart
Baby, you played me like a fool
Breaking every golden rule
Now I lead this wild parade
Through every note that we betrayed
[Verse 3]
The trumpet wails a lonely tune
Under this Parisian moon
But honey, watch me steal the show
With every high and every low
'Cause what you took, I've made my own
Now this bandstand is my throne
[Outro]
So swing it out and let it fly
This crimson song will never die
The stage is where I come alive
And baby, watch this band just jive
In the end, you set me free
To find the rhythm inside of me