[STYLE: Post-rock, slacker rock, minimal post-rock, atmospheric dub] [INTRO – sparse clean guitar, deep dub bass pulse, distant metallic echoes] [VERSE 1 – intimate, restrained male vocal] They never tell you where to stand They make you think you chose the ground They never have to raise a hand They know what keeps you hanging round A little praise, a little doubt A little fear of being wrong They make the walls feel like a home Then teach you where you don't belong [VERSE 2 – muted drums enter, echo-heavy guitar] They know the words that make you question Everything you thought you knew They turn your kindness into weakness Till you don't know what is true They move the line a little further Then blame you when you fall And somehow you're the one apologising For a game you never saw [PRE-CHORUS – bass deepens, guitar delay builds] You feel the pull You feel the strain You learn to dance You call it change [CHORUS – full drums, wide distorted guitars, layered backing vocals] Who's holding the strings? Who's pulling them tight? Who's teaching you to fear The things that open your eyes? You bend, you break You play your part Till their voice becomes The voice inside your heart Who's holding the strings? Who's holding the strings? [INSTRUMENTAL – hypnotic bass, echoing guitar notes, distortion slowly swelling] [VERSE 3 – groove drops back, vocal close and raw] Some wear a smile, some wear a title Some just know which wound to press Some will call their grip protection While they tighten it a little less They don't need to lock the doorway If you're frightened to walk free The strongest cage is built from stories You mistake for certainty [PRE-CHORUS – distant synth rises, subtle rhythmic shift] Then one day the pattern changes Something doesn't feel the same You begin to hear the difference Between your voice and theirs again [CHORUS – heavier drums, guitars expanding] Who's holding the strings? Who's pulling them tight? Who's teaching you to fear The things that open your eyes? You bend, you break You play your part Till their voice becomes The voice inside your heart Who's holding the strings? Who's holding the strings? [BRIDGE – drums fall away, deep bass and single clean guitar] Maybe they were once the frightened Maybe they were once controlled Maybe power was the only thing That kept them feeling whole But knowing where the hurt began Doesn't make the damage right You can understand the darkness Without surrendering your light [BUILD – drums return slowly, distorted guitars rise in waves] Cut one string Then another Find the ground beneath your feet Let the silence Break the pattern Let your own thoughts speak [FINAL CHORUS – expansive post-rock wall of sound, raw vocal] Who's holding the strings? Who's pulling them tight? Who's been choosing all the moves While you thought the choice was mine? No more bending No more shame No more living by their game You were never born to be A shadow in somebody's dream Who's holding the strings? Who's holding the strings? [OUTRO – distorted guitars recede into dub delay, bass remains] The hands let go The echoes stay It takes some time To walk your own way [FADE OUT]
