[Preserve the original song arrangement, vocal melody, performance and guitar riffs. Increase lead vocal intelligibility and presence without changing its natural timbre, pitch or expression. Keep the lead vocal dry, centered and clearly above the guitars. Reduce masking from distorted rhythm guitars in the vocal presence range during sung phrases, retaining their full aggressive sound between vocal lines. Separate kick and bass in the low end; retain crisp snare transients and powerful guitar dynamics. Keep guitar shrieks and feedback on instrumental tracks only. Use restrained compression and precise separation, preserving a powerful, clean, high-fidelity industrial rock mix.] [Intro | two-note distorted bass, dry kick, distant detuned organ] [Close, almost sung] I heard it changing Before you said a word [Verse 1 | intimate low male lead; bass and sparse snare] I heard a fracture in my answer Every time I said yes You made a verdict sound like comfort I mistook the threat for tenderness I knew before you changed the story Which parts you meant to erase I gave you every missing detail Until the evidence was me [Pre-Chorus | organ rises; thin feedback guitar answers each line] You never had to make me lie You only had to look away I did the rest I did the rest [Chorus | restrained, wounded melody; drums widen; abrasive guitar stabs between lines] I defended the damage I let it speak for me I bent the truth around you Until it cut right through me You left without a witness Though I was standing there Now the damage keeps on talking Like you never disappeared [Instrumental | 8 bars; screaming sustained guitar bends against hypnotic bass; drums steady] [Verse 2 | guitars fall away; close vocal, dry bass and metallic ticks] You kept a second set of meanings Under everything you said I learned to speak in your corrections Until my own words sounded dead And when you finally stopped pretending There wasn't even much to break I could name exactly what you did And still want you to stay [Pre-Chorus | tremolo organ; snare becomes uneven] There's no one left to contradict you No one left to take the blame Except the thing you made of me That still answers to your name [Chorus | fuller guitars, same intimate vocal volume] I defended the damage I let it speak for me I bent the truth around you Until it cut right through me You left without a witness Though I was standing there Now the damage keeps on talking Like you never disappeared [Bridge | keep bass pulse and live drums; guitars scrape quietly, no piano break] There's an animal below the reason It doesn't know that you are gone It only knows the sound of wanting It only knows to come when called I can see the shape of what you did I can say it without shame But something underneath the answer Still answers to your name [Instrumental | 16 bars; guitars scream and clash in stereo; drums turn ragged, bass stays anchored] [One brief cracked shout] I KNOW WHAT YOU ARE [Final Chorus | sorrowful fully sung lead, wide distorted guitar wall with a clear vocal pocket] I defended the damage I let it speak for me I bent the truth around you Until it cut right through me You left without a witness Though I was standing there Now the damage keeps on talking Like you never disappeared [Outro | instruments choke out; bass and loose snare remain] I did the rest I did the rest [Unresolved bass note, short irregular drum flurry, hard stop] [End]
