Understudies

[Verse 1] In the window of the storefront There's a mugshot for a manhunt And those cakes all decorated with cartoons Piñatas shaped like parrots Secrets leaking from the gas tanks In the back, while they were twisting up balloons The helium was noble And the nitrous was obnoxious And the neon lit the stage For the patrons in their boxes And the scarecrow stepped on set He stumbled, then recovered Started on his steps then said, "Whatever" [Pre-Chorus] This is showbiz Hit the spotlight If you really want to dance then put your shoes on And the diamond In his tie pin Was blinking like an isolated neutron [Chorus] He said it's perfect when you're finally performing But all this waitin' 'round just gets so boring [Verse 2] When the show is over Then a people in the theater Stand up and start to clap Try to take this whole thing back But the night is just beginning For the actor and the gaffer He's taking off his makeup And they meet up by the backdoor In the alley there's a taxi When they get in, it starts moving And the driver gets a feeling That he knows just where they're going And it's quiet and he listens To the actor and the gaffer Discuss the things they're gettin' And where they're going after [Chorus] And if 4am's the nighttime or the morning It's hard to get to sleep after performing When a star is born, the habit begins forming It's hard to get to sleep after performing [Verse 3] The adrenaline it kicks in When the stagehand hits the curtain It's exciting when you're working You get to be a different person But later when it's over And they're sweeping up the lobby And you're still on that wavelength And it's sometimes hard to shake it The bakery is a business That's pretty unsuspecting They're busy on the third shift And the doors are always open The actor and the gaffer They enter through the kitchen When the baker sees them coming He starts taking off his apron [Verse 4] Now it's showtime Hit the spotlights But the gaffer never turned up And his phone's been dead since last night Now it's showtime (Now it's showtime) Cue the dancers (Cue the dancers) The director phones the actor But the actor doesn't answer Call the back up (Call the back up) Get the new guy (Get the new guy) They're pacing around backstage Trying to brush up on their lines The understudy (The understudy) Plays the savior (Plays the savior) Comes in and does the part Without the dangerous behavior [Chorus] But when a star is born, the habit begins forming It's hard to get to sleep after performing Is 4am the night time or the morning? It's hard to get to sleep after performing