The Rot Wears a Face

The Rot Wears a Face [Intro] I don’t think monsters are born. I think they’re taught where to hide. [Verse 1 ] I saw the banners in the rain, stitched in gold above the graves. Every mouth was full of mercy, every hand still held a blade. They said they stood for the broken, said the lost would have a name. But when the body hit the altar, they just argued who could claim it. I watched the towers keep their silence, watched the priests rehearse their lines. If the cause can’t see the person, then the cause has gone blind. [Pre-Chorus] So tell me what you worship when the human disappears. Is it justice? Is it power? Or the sound of your own cheers? [Chorus] Humans aren’t born evil, but the rot wears a face. Give a crown no consequence, and it learns to call cruelty grace. You loved the banner, but you stepped over the blood. You praised the kingdom while it buried who it was. So I’ll stand in the ashes with the truth in my blade: a heart does not turn hollow until silence teaches it the way. [Verse 2] You look at me like I’m the reason the bridge had to burn, like I’m the oath that you broke and the lesson you never could learn, like I’m the stone in the road when the throne told the soldiers to leave, like I’m the wound you can name but the scream you refuse to believe. You listen close like I’m seconds from losing the thread, like I should thank you for mercy while standing here counted as dead, like if the ending is written then someone must carry the blame, so make me the body, the warning, the monster, the name. Because once you look away, you’re dead to me. Not dead in the ground, dead in the truth. You showed me the mask. Now I know it was you. [Chorus ] Humans aren’t born evil, but the rot wears a face. Give a crown no consequence, and it learns to call cruelty grace. You loved the banner, but you stepped over the blood. You praised the kingdom while it buried who it was. So I’ll stand in the ashes with the truth in my blade: a heart does not turn hollow until silence teaches it the way. [Post-Chorus] No fear. No shame. No consequence. No grave. No truth. No grace. That’s how the rot learns to wear a face. [Bridge] Sky King screamed at the water, but the pond gave back no sound. A brother’s name beneath the surface, a crown too proud to drown. The serpent watched from the edge of dawn, the Entity whispered, “See.” Not every cage has iron bars. Some are built from what people agree not to be. They’ll chant for the poor, then feast on the gold. They’ll mourn for the dead, then sell what they stole. They’ll preach about love with a knife in the fold. Then call you the monster when your witness takes hold. [Breakdown] You loved the cause! But not the soul! You loved the crown! But not the toll! You loved the chant! But not the name! You loved the fire! Until it showed you the shame! [Final Chorus] Humans aren’t born evil, but the rot wears a face. Give a crown no consequence, and it learns to call cruelty grace. You loved the banner, but you stepped over the blood. You praised the kingdom while it buried who it was. So I’ll stand in the ashes with the truth in my blade: a heart does not turn hollow until silence teaches it the way. [Outro] I don’t hate the living. I hate what they become when nobody makes them answer for what they’ve done. Blood on the Mic is now streaming on Amazon Music, Spotify, Pandora, YouTube Music, and other major platforms. Thanks for listening and supporting the world we’re building.