(Rock Guitar Riff: Heavy, slightly distorted, driving rhythm) (Intro - Rock Vocals, slightly gritty) Yeah! Check the mic, one two... This is the sound of the inside screaming! (Verse 1 - Rap Vocals: Fast, rhythmic, a little tense) Yo, the spotlight’s on, I’m center stage, I got the look right Got my armor locked, ain't got a soul in my foresight Got the people fooled, they think I’m walking in the sunlight But it’s a dark, dark room, I just cranked the bulb up too tight See the corners of my mouth, they’re pointed up like a missile While the thoughts inside my head, they’re flying low, unofficial They say, "He's always happy, never seen him in a tussle" They don't hear the mental war, the crunch of bone and muscle It's a full-time job, this façade that I gotta maintain Pour the concrete on the cracks, gotta hide the acid rain 'Cause if I let it slip, if I show 'em the strain They'll see the monster in the mirror, and they'll call me insane. (Pre-Chorus - Rock Vocals: Builds in intensity, slightly shouted) Hear the bass drum thunder? That's the panic in my chest! Every time I laugh, it’s just a test! Of how long I can hold the dam, before the river spills, It’s a sickness, yeah, a sickness that my spirit kills! (Chorus - Full Rock/Rap Blend: Heavy guitar, pounding drums, powerful vocals) I put the PAINTED SMILE on! A canvas of denial! Locked my heart inside a box, and threw away the file! You see the teeth, you hear the joy, but it’s a LOUD, LOUD LIE! I'm a tightrope walker, balanced way up in the sky! I put the PAINTED SMILE on! The make-up of a mask! You get the answer that you want, you never have to ask! I'm a walking contradiction, happy on the outside While the real me, baby, has nowhere left to hide! (Guitar Solo: Aggressive, quick shredding, then a melodic bend that sounds like a cry) (Verse 2 - Rap Vocals: Slower, more introspective, lower pitch) I look at faces in the crowd, they look back at my own They think they know my story, just the seeds that I have sown But they don’t get the cold weight of feeling so alone When you’re surrounded by a hundred people, throwing stones Yeah, every compliment’s a hammer, nailing down the lid Keeping all the real emotion secretly hid I play the cool machine, the well-oiled, polished kid And that feeling of drowning? Yeah, I tell it to just forbid! It’s a quick draw, see the camera flash, click, boom, there it is! The instant happy, the social media bliss! But when the light goes out, and I blow a lonely kiss To the mirror, I can see the emptiness in this abyss. (Pre-Chorus - Rock Vocals: Builds in intensity, slightly shouted) Hear the bass drum thunder? That's the panic in my chest! Every time I laugh, it’s just a test! Of how long I can hold the dam, before the river spills, It’s a sickness, yeah, a sickness that my spirit kills! (Chorus - Full Rock/Rap Blend: Heavy guitar, pounding drums, powerful vocals) I put the PAINTED SMILE on! A canvas of denial! Locked my heart inside a box, and threw away the file! You see the teeth, you hear the joy, but it’s a LOUD, LOUD LIE! I'm a tightrope walker, balanced way up in the sky! I put the PAINTED SMILE on! The make-up of a mask! You get the answer that you want, you never have to ask! I'm a walking contradiction, happy on the outside While the real me, baby, has nowhere left to hide! (Bridge - Rap/Rock Call-and-Response: Tempo slows down, more emphasis on the lyrics) (Rap:)When does the make-up run? Rock): When you finally break down! (Rap:) When does the act stop? Rock:) When you scream and you drown! (Rap:) Is there a way out? (Rock:) Tear the façade right off! (Rap:) But what if I can't breathe? (Rock:) THEN LET IT COUGH! (Outro - Rock Vocals: Fading guitar feedback and heavy breathing) ...Now you see me. ...Now you don't. (Whispered) Just a smile... Just a smile... (Final, sharp, heavy guitar chord)
