AFTER DARK WE BREATHE [Intro] [A distant church bell... wind through ancient trees... children laughing... a deep heartbeat...] [Male Spoken] They told us darkness belonged to monsters... But every monster has a name. Every mask... has a story. Tonight... we stop hiding. Tonight... After dark... we breathe. --- [Verse 1] Pumpkins blaze beneath a harvest moon tonight, Shadows come alive in silver candlelight. Witches, wolves, and ghosts all gather in the glow, Finding pieces of ourselves the daylight never shows. They called the night a kingdom built on fear, But every passing year just brought the truth more near. Behind every costume, every painted face, Lives a soul that finally finds its place. --- [Pre-Chorus] No more shame. No more chains. No more living by somebody else's name. --- [Chorus] After dark we breathe. After dark we're free. Every scar becomes a constellation we can finally see. Call us monsters. Call us strange. We were never born to fit inside your cage. Raise your lanterns high. Let the old fears leave. Because after dark... After dark we breathe. --- [Verse 2] Haunted breezes carry laughter through the pines, Skeletons awaken keeping rhythm out of time. Black cats cross beneath October's crimson skies, While jack-o'-lantern smiles reflect in fearless eyes. The moon remembers stories history forgot, Of fires that couldn't burn the truth they never caught. Tonight the veil is thin enough to finally know... The brightest souls are often those the world won't show. --- [Rap Verse] They sold fear in a halo, guilt in a crown, Built another wall just to keep us looking down. Pointing at the darkness while they hid the light, Teaching us to fear what only comes alive at night. Look around—ain't a demon in sight, Just broken hearts finally feeling alright. Paint on our faces, truth in our veins, Breaking every lock they forged from shame. Every witch hunt started with a different mind. Every outcast carried something undefined. Every monster was a story left untold... Every free soul couldn't fit their mold. So raise that mask. Raise that flame. We're done apologizing for our name. If love is fearless... If truth won't leave... Then every heartbeat whispers... After dark we breathe. --- [Bridge] The moon doesn't judge. The stars don't condemn. The earth keeps turning again and again. Every shadow. Every scar. Every dream that made us who we are. Tonight we wear them proudly. --- [Final Chorus] After dark we breathe. After dark we're free. The masks don't hide our hearts... They show who we're meant to be. Sing it louder. Raise your light. There's nothing wrong with loving who you are tonight. Pumpkins burning. Autumn leaves. One night together... After dark... After dark... After dark we breathe. --- [Outro] [Children laughing... ravens calling... a final heartbeat...] [Male Spoken] Maybe... The monsters... Were never us.
