Glitch Between the Smile and the Scream

[Intro] [4 bars. Detuned piano, dark pad, low crackle, no full beat yet.] [Verse 1] [Close low mezzo. Breath-held, intimate. Keep it tight and underwater. On “erase,” let the phrase fall away.] I wake up painted in a hundred shades of grey Bones feel underwater, heart is running late Scroll through everybody’s perfect little lives Type “I’m fine” and then erase it every time You call and I can flip it like a switch Turn a breakdown into just another glitch [Pre-Chorus] [Add low tom pulse and rising pad. Whisper double on last words.] You say, “You seem so much better now” You can’t hear the floorboards screaming loud [Chorus] [Full groove. Deep synth bass, dark drums, distant choir. Double lead throughout. Airy harmonies on lines 1, 3, 5, 7. Whisper echo on “scream.” Let “in-between” stretch.] I’m a glitch between the smile and the scream One frame laughing, next I’m sinking in the deep Everybody says I look all right They don’t see the blackout in my mind I’m a glitch between the smile and the scream Laugh it off, then spiral quiet in my sleep If you freeze it on the in-between You would see how loud the silence really screams [Verse 2] [Pull drums back to ghost beat. Keep bass under it. Lead only first 2 lines, then add soft octave hum.] I joke about the ways I disappear Turn my worst nights into punchlines, souvenirs You say, “I love how honest you can be” But I’m cutting out the parts you shouldn’t see I’m dancing in a room with no more air Smile so wide you almost miss I’m scared [Pre-Chorus] [Slightly bigger. Add faint guitar swell. Tight high harmony on phrase endings.] You say, “You’re not that sad anymore” You can’t hear me crying through the door [Chorus] [Same hook, fuller. Wider choir. Soft ad-libs between lines.] I’m a glitch between the smile and the scream One frame laughing, next I’m sinking in the deep Everybody says I look all right They don’t see the blackout in my mind I’m a glitch between the smile and the scream Hands raised high, but my feet stay in the deep If you freeze it on the in-between You would see how loud the quiet really screams [Bridge] [Drop drums. Piano, bass swell, reverse tails. Fragile lead, drier. Whisper doubles on line ends. Build back halfway with toms.] Some nights I swear that I won’t make it through Next day I’m laughing like it wasn’t true How can both of them be living in my skin? I’m so tired of this coin flip that I’m in If I tell you that I’m not okay Will you stay when all the colors drain away? Hold me when I’m nothing like I seem When I’m the glitch between the smile and the scream [Final Chorus] [Start almost a cappella with pad only for line 1, then full band enters line 2. Biggest harmonies, dark not triumphant. Hold last “screams.”] I’m a glitch between the smile and the scream One frame hopeful, next I’m sinking in the deep Everybody says I’m finally doing fine They don’t see the war behind my eyes I’m a glitch between the smile and the scream But I’m still here, stuck living in between If I’m breathing, there’s a tiny thread of light Flickering against the darkest walls inside