The painted faces on the street   Caricatures of long ago   Oh they were young and oh so sweet   Down beyond the boulevard   Knock on doors and empty halls   And still sometimes remember   The masquerade's forever      When you see the price they paid   I'm sure you'll come and join the masquerade      The reeling figures pass on by   Like ghosts in some forgotten play   Beneath the black and empty sky   Music plays and figures dance   With partners chosen by chance   And still some times remember   The masquerade's forever      They reached for tomorrow   But tomorrows, more of the same   So they reached for tomorrow   But tomorrow never came      When you hear the price they paid   I'm sure you'll come and join the masquerade      One by one and two by two   Past eight by tens in shattered frames   The players try to leave the room   Frantic puppets on a string   And all the while the music sings   And still sometimes remember   The masquerade's forever