Collateral Villain

[Verse 1] Stuck in the centrifuge, spinning off balance Every side screaming like it’s some new valiance I patch up the fractures with duct tape diplomacy But I’m cast as the culprit in someone’s mythology [Chorus] Collateral villain, scapegoat deluxe Your chaos is currency, and I’m paying the bucks I try to resuscitate your self-inflicted mess But the blood on my hands is the proof you confess [Verse 2] Mediated martyrdom, roundabout blame Symphonies of tantrums, I conduct the same I’m the fulcrum they fracture, the buffer they burn Every lesson’s recursive, but I never learn [Chorus] Collateral villain, scapegoat deluxe Your chaos is currency, and I’m paying the bucks I try to resuscitate your self-inflicted mess But the blood on my hands is the proof you confess [Bridge] I’m the referee bleeding while you’re still offside Mediator’s migraine, no place to hide You weaponize chaos, I clean up the cost And I’m holding the receipt for the battles you lost [Verse 4] When’s the parade for the crisis containment crew? Ticker tape raining for the damage we undo Do we get medals, or just blame on repeat? Guess the hero’s just the idiot who never concedes defeat [Chorus Alternative] I’m the fall guy for a crime I don’t own Building foundations out of sticks and stones Every rescue turns into a trial And the verdict is guilty with a crooked smile [Verse 5] All of the trophies when there’s no point to score Arbitrating nonsense I never signed up for Dealing with your end game but should have been mine All the weaponized chaos, I’m stuck in the grind [Chorus Alternative (shout it faster)] I’m the fall guy for a crime I don’t own Building foundations out of sticks and stones Every rescue turns into a trial And the verdict is guilty with a crooked smile [Outro] Middle of nowhere, middle of all Pick up the pieces, absorb every fall If I’m always the villain, then crown me with shame ‘Cause the martyr, the monster, and victim’s the same