[Verse 1: Acoustic Folk-Pop] *[Light, finger-picked guitar. Warm but hollow tone. Vocals are soft, almost conversational]* I’m the only ghost in the living room While the tea is still steaming in the pot. You’re discussing the acreage, the deed, and the loom, And exactly how much of my spirit you’ve got. You didn't use a knife, or a sudden loud scream, You just edited me out of the family dream. A slow-motion erasure, a smudge on the glass, Watching my place in the lineage pass. [Pre-Chorus: Folk-Pop] *[Adding a light percussion snap, building slightly]* And Mother says my temper is a "tragic trait," Father knows my silence is a "karma for his mistakes" They’re polishing the silver while they plot the divide, Counting up the secrets they’ve managed to hide. [Chorus: Post-Hardcore transition] *[The guitar shifts from finger-picking to aggressive, distorted acoustic strumming. Vocals jump from a melodic croon to a gritty, strained belt]* Sift through the ashes for a glimmer of gold! Sell off the stories that I never told! You’ve carved out my heart to make room for the greed, Planting your hunger like a poisonous seed. Go on, take the house! Take the land! Take the name! But you can’t buy the blood when you’re fueling the flame! [Verse 2: Acoustic Folk-Pop] *[Sudden drop back to quiet, sparse picking. The contrast is jarring]* I remember the screaming, the dust and the light, Using a space heater every winter night. Now the air is clinical, the conversation cold, Like a ledger of assets being bought and sold. "It’s for your own good," is the lie that you weave, While you’re checking the locks so I’m forced to leave. You didn’t want a son, or a daughter, or a friend, You wanted a means to a lucrative end. [Pre-Chorus: Post-Hardcore lean] *[Guitar starts chugging, palm-muted acoustic]* And Mother always says my temper is a "tragic trait," Father never says my silence is a "heavy weight." [Screamed] *YOU’RE POLISHING THE SILVER WHILE YOU ERASE MY STATE!* *BUT WHAT ABOUT ALL OF YOUR HATE!* [Chorus: Full Post-Hardcore] *[Full throttle acoustic aggression. Vocals are raw, bordering on screams]* Sift through the ashes for a glimmer of gold! Sell off the stories that I never told! You’ve carved out my heart to make room for the greed, Planting your hunger like a poisonous seed. Go on, take the house! Take the land! Take the name! But you can’t buy the blood when you’re fueling the flame! [Bridge: Dynamic build] *[Slow, rhythmic thumping on the guitar body. Vocals are a haunting whisper]* The ink is dry on the page. The bird is gone from the cage. [Louder] The ink is dry on the page. The bird is gone from the cage. [Screaming] **SINK YOUR TEETH INTO THE PROFIT!** **SINK YOUR TEETH INTO THE LIES!** **I AM THE ONLY THING YOU COULDN'T APPRAISE!** [Outro: Folk-Pop] *[The aggression vanishes. A single, lonely guitar melody. Vocals are tired and breathy]* Keep the silver. Keep the gold. Keep the stories that were never told. I’ll take the road, and the wind, and the rain, And the beautiful lightness... Of shedding this chain. *[Final chord rings out and fades]* *[Silence]*
