Take Back, Castle, Squeeze

Verse 1

Pawn to d4, then pawn to c4 1.d4 d5 2.c4

He takes, my knight to f3 2...dxc4 3.Nf3

Pawn to e3, bishop takes back c4 3...Nf6 4.e3 e6 5.Bxc4

He plays a6, b5 is his plea 5...a6

Chorus

Castles short, he strikes with c5 6.0-0 c5

Pawn to b3, knight takes on d4 7.b3 cxd4 8.Nxd4

Bishop to b2, the long diagonal's alive 8...Be7 9.Bb2

Open centre, I squeeze for more

Verse 2

He castles short, my knight to d2 9...0-0 10.Nd2 b5

Bishop to e2, his bishop b7 too 11.Be2 Bb7

Pawn to a4, I crack his wing 12.a4 bxa4

Rook takes a4, his a-pawn's a lonely thing 13.Rxa4

Rush knight c3 too soon and b5 stings

Chorus

Castles short, he strikes with c5 6.0-0 c5

Pawn to b3, knight takes on d4 7.b3 cxd4 8.Nxd4

Bishop to b2, the long diagonal's alive 8...Be7 9.Bb2

Open centre, I squeeze for more

Bridge

The centre's open, the c-file, the d-file

The long diagonal, my bishop's road

Calm waters, queens leave by move twenty

A small edge, then I grind it home

Chorus

Castles short, he strikes with c5 6.0-0 c5

Pawn to b3, knight takes on d4 7.b3 cxd4 8.Nxd4

Bishop to b2, the long diagonal's alive 8...Be7 9.Bb2

Open centre, I squeeze for more

Outro

Pawn to b3, bishop to b2 7.b3 cxd4 8.Nxd4 Be7 9.Bb2

The long diagonal, I squeeze on through

The song's spine is the modern main line from the position on the board: castle, meet ...c5 with b3 and a knight recapture on d4, put the bishop on b2, then answer ...b5 with the bishop retreat to e2 and the a4 break that leaves his a-pawn isolated with the c- and d-files open — a calm, open, endgame-leaning structure where White's small edge is nursed rather than forced, which is exactly what the warm, slow groove is there to make you remember.