[Verse 1]
Captain White finds a fault in the coffee machine
Writes “minor inconvenience” beside the screen
The kettle still clicks, though nobody pours
He signs for the rations, then checks all four doors
[Verse 2]
At 06:10 he reads the weather report
No weather remains on the forward port
The cabin fan coughs like an old little man
He taps it twice, and it starts if it can
[Pre-Chorus]
The logbook is heavy with years of the same
A coordinate, a pressure, a date, and his name
[Chorus]
Captain White at the end of time
Still checking gauges that haven’t moved in years
He keeps the needle inside the line
He keeps his voice steady so no one hears
[Verse 3]
The stars have gone out one department at a time
First the blue ones, then the red, then the shine
He dusts the console with the edge of his sleeve
And files a report marked “nothing to see”
[Verse 4]
There’s a chair by the viewport reserved for the crew
He straightens its buckle though the straps are unused
The ship gives a shudder, a small metal sigh
He answers, “I’m here,” though he doesn’t know why
[Pre-Chorus]
No bell in the corridor, no footsteps above
Just the measured machinery doing its job
[Chorus]
Captain White at the end of time
Still checking gauges that haven’t moved in years
He keeps the needle inside the line
He keeps his voice steady so no one hears
[Bridge]
If he is a man, no record remains
If he is a promise, who gave him his name?
The mission was finished before he was born
The message keeps waiting, the channel stays warm
[Verse 5]
He reads out the coordinates into the black
“Bearing unchanged, no return signal back”
His hand on the switch has begun to grow still
But he marks every minute because someone will
[Build]
Beyond the hull, the last horizon thins
The dark folds over what the dark had been
The ship becomes a room, the room becomes a breath
A breath becomes a question balanced over death
[Final Chorus]
Captain White at the end of time
Still checking gauges that haven’t moved in years
He holds the line, he holds the line
With both hands open, without fear
[Outro]
He lifts the transmitter, though the panel is dim
Says, “Captain White reporting. I am still within.”
A final light goes out beyond the glass
The signal leaves the ship, or never does
[Instrumental]
[Final Whisper]
If anyone remains, the watch is complete