Checkmate
Album: Miles Before Today
Lyrics by Melissa Bianco
Dark, measured 1970s-inspired rock with driving bass, steady drums, and restrained female vocals, examining how public figures are elevated, scrutinized, and brought down.
Lyrics
Line up the heroes in neat little rows
Set on a chessboard watch how it goes
Scanning close for a blink or a twitch
Still fit the mold or starting to slip
Pieces imperfect
Crowds with high stakes
One wrong move
Now it’s checkmate
Zoom in tight, looking for cracks
Built them high, now take them back
What did they say? Was it misplaced?
One wrong word, removed from grace
Pieces imperfect
Crowds with high stakes
One wrong move
Now it’s checkmate
A comment, a glance - grist for the mill
One false move and the piece stands still
No part in the day-to-day life
Still sharpening words like a knife
Pieces imperfect
Crowds with high stakes
One wrong move
Now it’s checkmate
Living large in a house of glass
Here today then gone in a flash
Scars revealed long after the game
Never quite seen the same
Pieces imperfect
Crowds with high stakes
One wrong move
And that’s checkmate
Your move, kid
Your move, kid
© 2026 Melissa Bianco. All rights reserved.
