The Man in the Mirror Isn’t Me

[Intro — glass hum + one piano note] I moved. He didn’t. (pause) Then he smiled. [Verse 1] There’s a man inside the mirror Wearing everything I own Same black shirt, same tired eyes Same scar beneath the bone But he blinks a second later Tilts his head when I stand still And every night he looks more certain Like he knows something I never will I wiped fingerprints from the glass Turned every lamp up bright But the clearer that I see him… The less he looks like mine [Pre-Chorus] Same face Wrong stare Same room Someone there I move left He moves right But tonight… He moved first [Chorus] The man in the mirror isn’t me He smiles when I’m afraid He knows every little secret I spent years trying to erase The man in the mirror isn’t me But he’s wearing all my skin And every time I look away… He looks a little more like him Or maybe… I look more like him [Post-Chorus] Don’t blink Don’t move He’s watching You Don’t speak Don’t breathe That man… Isn’t me [Verse 2] Now he mouths the words before me Like he knows what I will say And there’s something in his posture Getting stronger every day He points toward the empty hallway Then he presses on the glass And for one second I can feel it… Something pushing from the other side I tell myself I’m dreaming Tell myself I’ve lost my mind Then I wake up every morning… With his fingerprints on mine [Pre-Chorus] Same eyes Different soul Same heart No control One crack Across the glass How much longer Can this last? [Chorus] The man in the mirror isn’t me He smiles when I’m afraid He knows every little secret I spent years trying to erase The man in the mirror isn’t me But he’s wearing all my skin And every time I look away… He looks a little more like him Or maybe… I look more like him [Bridge — almost silent] Tonight I asked him: “Who are you?” (pause) He didn’t answer. He just lifted his hand… And pointed at me. Then he mouthed: “You know.” (low heartbeat starts) And suddenly… I remembered every version of myself I buried. Every thought I called ugly. Every anger I pretended I didn’t have. Every fear I locked away. Maybe he isn’t trying to get out. Maybe… He’s waiting for me to admit he was always in. [Breakdown — distorted whispers] My face His grin My glass His skin My fear His eyes My truth My lies One mirror Two men Look away… Look again [Final Chorus — chaotic cinematic lift] The man in the mirror might be me The part I never let survive Every shadow I abandoned Still somehow stayed alive The man in the mirror might be me And I finally understand You can cover every darkness… But it still belongs to the man So I place my hand against the glass And this time… He does too. [Outro — mirror crack] I smiled. He smiled. At the same time.