I'm Still Here

Intro (spoken / ad-libs) Yeah… Ha ha… Step right up, see the freak show Everybody laughing, nobody asking who paid for it Whoop whoop… Verse 1 Paint on my face but the smile cracked Clocked in early, came home dead-ass tired While they was clownin’, I was stackin’ that Bills on bills, back bent, wired Missed the fun, missed the noise Missed a lot of birthdays, yeah I know But the lights stayed on, food for the boys While I danced with the devil at the rodeo Pre-Chorus (chanty) You wanted magic, fireworks, cheers I was busy holdin’ back the gears Somebody gotta bleed for the show Guess who drew the short straw, yo Chorus (shouted) I’M STILL HERE! Even when I wasn’t seen STILL HERE! In the dirt behind the scenes You can laugh, point, throw your beer Say I wasn’t the fun one—cool, I hear But when the tent stayed standin’ all these years That was me, motherfucker I’M STILL HERE Verse 2 Bought the clothes you grew out of quick Shoes worn thin, soles talkin’ back Every sacrifice another trick Pulled from a hat labeled “don’t collapse” They clap for the jokes, not the grind They don’t cheer for the quiet pain I lost pieces of my damn mind Tryin’ to keep the carousel spinnin’ straight Pre-Chorus Responsibility ain’t funny Ain’t got punchlines, ain’t got flair But when the money vanished like smoke I was the one still standin’ there Chorus I’M STILL HERE! Face paint runnin’ in the rain STILL HERE! Laughin’ through the chain and strain No trophies, no gold gear Just regret rattlin’ ear to ear Say what you want, scream it clear I didn’t bounce, I didn’t disappear I’M STILL HERE Bridge (half-spoken, chaotic) Would I do it different now? Maybe tweak it, maybe bend But somebody had to be the clown That didn’t get a happy end One of us had to stay sober While the world went spin-spin-spin That was me, holdin’ the tent poles While the crowd screamed “let’s begin” Break (chant / crowd response) Who paid the price? — I DID! Who stayed up nights? — I DID! Who vanished so you didn’t fall? — I DID! Final Chorus (big, manic) I’M STILL HERE! Empty pockets, heavy soul STILL HERE! Played my part, paid the toll You won’t see it in the highlight reel Or hear it in the laughs and cheers But the truth don’t die, it just gets weird And it’s screamin’ now— I’M STILL HERE Outro (low, bitter laugh) I never left the circus I just worked behind the curtain Whoop whoop….