[Verse 1 – male vocals, tender and broken] He wakes with a start in a dream he’s been dying in A whisper of hope, but it’s lost in the wiring He paints in his mind a world they’ll never see Brush soaked in colors that scream silently [Verse 2 – guitars rise, voice cracks in confession] He walks past the stage like a ghost in the crowd The spotlight too blinding, the voices too loud Every “what if” becomes a locked door And he’s holding the key… but can’t move anymore [Chorus – Full orchestration, power builds] He could be fire, he could be flame He could be more than a man with no name He could have soared, he could have shined But the fear grips his soul like a thorn-covered vine And he screams… But the fear just mocks him again In the cage he calls me!!! [Verse 3 – Spoken/sung like a soliloquy, orchestral swell beneath] They laughed at a stutter, they pointed at flaws He memorized silence, obeyed every law A genius in shadow, a heart full of songs But the fear of the ending… always felt wrong [Bridge – Guitar solo slowly building, layered with choir] (Latin-style whispering choir) Timor… damnatio… veritas… abscondita est… (“Fear… condemnation… truth… remains hidden…”) [Verse 4 – Crescendo, voice stronger, angry but still broken] He once wrote a verse that could make angels weep But tore it apart, buried it deep He once felt a touch that could warm through the frost But turned from the love for fear of the loss [Chorus – Bigger, louder, guitars wail behind lead vocals] He could be thunder, he could be light He could be justice, he could be right He could be laughter in the face of pain But he’s shackled to ghosts in a self-forged chain And he cries… As he watches the world from the dark In the cage he calls me [Outro – Slows to haunting piano with strings, soft spoken whisper] So many dreams never dared to begin So many songs never played from within He loves, oh he loves… with a heart made to soar But he fears love’s ending… even more [Last Line – Fade to silence] He never took the chance… And now he’s nothing more… Than the cage he calls me.
