[Intro] [sparse piano, one clean guitar] The paint was braver than I was It held the night together [Verse 1] I painted the joy on thicker than the skin A brighter mouth over a quieter one If I kept the color wet, I could keep the lie kind If I kept the lights low, I could pass as someone The crowd liked the version that didn't drip So I smiled in layers and called it a gift [Pre-Chorus] Don't touch the cheek Don't ask the cost It only stays pretty Till the heat talks [Chorus] [heavy, sad] It only looked permanent in the dark All that gold was just a way to hide the mark I wore a party over a breaking face Now the color leaves and it won't take my place It only looked permanent in the dark Makeup runs when the night tells the truth [Verse 2] I wasn't trying to be beautiful I was trying to be still employable A clean outline in a dirty heat A man who could sell what he couldn't feel Every hour added water to the grin By the end I was a poster coming off the skin [Pre-Chorus] Don't touch the cheek Don't ask the cost It only stays pretty Till the heat talks [Chorus] [heavy, sad] It only looked permanent in the dark All that gold was just a way to hide the mark I wore a party over a breaking face Now the color leaves and it won't take my place It only looked permanent in the dark Makeup runs when the night tells the truth [Rap] [drums and one guitar, dry introspective rap] I wasn't hiding the fire, I was hiding that I liked the view Ugly truth: the wheel was never stuck, I just never got off I liked the height, I liked the tint, I liked the job of not knowing I liked the way the panic looked from a painted distance No slogan now, no ticket talk, no booth to hide behind Just a face coming off in my hands and a night that kept the receipt If I wipe it away, I don't get saved I just get seen And being seen was the one trick I never learned to sell [Bridge] [whisper] Let it run Let it run If there's a person under it Let him stand in the light [Final Chorus] [whispered hook, heavy under it] It only looked permanent in the dark All that gold was just a way to hide the mark I wore a party over a breaking face Now the color leaves and it won't take my place It only looked permanent in the dark Makeup runs when the night tells the truth Tells the truth Tells the truth [Outro] [piano left alone, one streak of smear, fade]
