Intro (4–8 Bars) [INSTRUMENTS: Clean electric guitar riff in drop D, slightly dissonant arpeggios with delay. Low ambient swell underneath. Drum fill builds at end with low toms and reverb crash.] (Guitar pattern foreshadows chorus melody in a darker tone.) Verse 1 (8–12 Bars) [INSTRUMENTS: Guitar and bass in sync, slow groove, light cymbals. Low, almost spoken vocals.] I built a crown from pain I never named, Polished the lies ‘til they looked like grace. Smiles that held a thousand screams, A throne made soft from buried things. I don’t sleep — I stand on guard, Against the peace that hits too hard. Good times feel like glass to break, I’ve learned to fear what they might take. Chorus (8 Bars) [INSTRUMENTS: Full band enters. Open chords, sludgy distortion. Backing vocal harmonies trail the last word of each line. Tom-heavy drums with cymbal swells.] Tear it down — this hollow crown, Let it fall where truth is found. I’m not the mask I nailed in place, Not the echo I tried to erase. Break me slow, don’t make a sound... I want to bleed the poison out. Verse 2 (8–12 Bars) [INSTRUMENTS: Slightly heavier guitar tone. Syncopated hi-hat added. Bass rises with tension.] I wore control like sacred skin, Hid every loss I carried in. But the mirror waits when the crowd is gone, And I see what I’ve become. Somewhere deep, there’s something true, Not built by me — not scarred by you. A voice that whispers past the ache: “Lay it down... it’s not too late.” Chorus (Repeat – Increased Intensity) [INSTRUMENTS: Add double-tracked rhythm guitar. Bass drum punches harder. Harmony layers on final lines.] Tear it down — this hollow crown, Let it fall where truth is found. I’m not the mask I nailed in place, Not the echo I tried to erase. Break me slow, don’t make a sound... I want to bleed the poison out. Bridge (7/8 Time – 4–8 Bars) [INSTRUMENTS: Bass and drums only. Guitar comes in dissonant and angular. Choppy, hypnotic rhythm. Vocal phrasing is staggered and breathy.] I was king of dust and shame, Built a throne, forgot my name. Mercy waits beyond the flame... But pride — pride dies slow. Guitar Solo (8–12 Bars) [INSTRUMENTS: Solo begins with a bent note mimicking a scream, then flows into a melodic descent echoing the verse theme. Underneath: slow chord progression from chorus. Ends with feedback swell.] Final Chorus (Double – With Key Change to C Minor) [INSTRUMENTS: Key lifts subtly. Drums go double-time. Full harmonies. Guitar adds octave layer. Vocals more raw and pleading.] Tear it down — this hollow crown, Let it fall where truth is found. I’m not the mask I nailed in place, Not the echo I tried to erase. Break me slow, don’t make a sound... I want to bleed the poison out. Let me drown... to rise somehow. I want to learn to live without... This hollow crown. Outro (Fade, Callback to Intro Riff) [INSTRUMENTS: Return to intro riff]
