[Intro] They say, “Be yourself.” Funny thing is… Which one? [Verse 1] I learned to smile when the pressure got heavy, Walk in the room like my soul was already ready, Nobody knew what the silence was telling, I made confidence out of things I was fearing. I shook hands with doubt, then I called it ambition, Turned every scar to a part of my vision, They saw the shine, never studied the friction, Saw the destination, never walked through the distance. I became what I needed when nobody was near, Put a face on the pain so they wouldn't see fear, Funny how a disguise can become sincere, When you wear it every day for a couple of years. [Hook] I put on the mask, Nobody asks what's underneath, I give 'em the smile, While something different liesin me. I put on the mask, Maybe that's who I'm meant to be, If I take it off tonight… Would you still recognize me? [Verse 2] There's a version of me that I keep in the dark, Never speaks too loud, but it knows where I hurt, And another one walks like he owns every part, Like the world owes applause for the work in his heart. One says, “You ain't enough,” one says, “Prove that wrong,” One wants to disappear, one keeps writing these songs, I've been caught in between them for way too damn long, Trying to figure out which voice I've been calling my own. Maybe both are me, maybe neither's the truth, Maybe growing up means you keep changing the suit, Maybe every mask was just something I used To survive every room that I was walking into. [Hook] I put on the mask, Nobody asks what's underneath, I give 'em the smile, While something different lies in me. I put on the mask, Maybe that's who I'm meant to be, If I take it off tonight… Would you still recognize me? [Verse 3] Now I don't know if I'm hiding or healing, If the mask is a prison or part of the ceiling, Maybe it protected the person beneath it, Maybe without it I'd never believe it. I used to think being real meant revealing the scars, Now I know truth can exist behind bars, You don't owe everybody the map to your heart, Some pieces of you should remain where they are. So if you see me smiling, don't assume that I'm fine, If you see me shining, don't assume that I shine, There's a thousand different versions that I carry inside, And every one of them helped me survive. [Bridge — almost spoken] Maybe the mask wasn't hiding me. Maybe it was building me. Maybe I wore it so long… I finally became the man behind it. [Final Hook] I put on the mask, Nobody asks what's underneath, I give 'em the smile, While something different lies in me. I put on the mask, Now I finally understand— I wasn't hiding who I was… I was becoming who I am. [Outro — beat fades] …So which one of us was wearing the mask?
