" (Dead Man’s Smile)” Verse 1 I was young, I was vicious, had a devil in my grin, Burned my name into the night, let the chaos pull me in. Thought I owned every soul, thought I danced above the fall, Now I’m picking through the pieces of a shadow on the wall. Pre-Chorus Every sin’s a souvenir, every lie a work of art, Built a kingdom out of ashes, now I’m choking on the dark. Chorus Shangri-La — is it heaven or a lie? Just a needle in my veins or a halo in disguise? I had power, I had hunger, I had everything to break, Now I’m crawling through the wreckage of the choices that I made. Verse 2 Heard about a place somewhere they don’t remember names, Where the mirror never judges and the guilt don’t leave a stain. So I laughed and took the long way, let the madness be my guide, With a ghost of who I used to be just rotting by my side. Pre-Chorus Met a man with hollow eyes, said “Kid, you’re digging deep, You don’t find what you’ve been chasing— It drags you when you sleep.” Chorus Shangri-La — you’re a whisper in my head, Like a lover or a killer tucking roses in the dead. I had fire, I had fury, I had nothing left to lose, Now I’m dancing with the truth in blood-red dancing shoes. Bridge (spoken / theatrical feel) Regret tastes sweet when you’re addicted to the pain, Every scar’s a little echo screaming out my name. You wanna find forgiveness? You better dig your grave… slow. Break / Soft Chorus Shangri-La… you don’t wash away the sin, Just teach a dying man how to feel his skin again… Final Chorus Shangri-La — I ain’t running, I’m possessed, Found a kind of peace that feels a lot like second death. I was young, I was reckless, yeah I tore it all apart, Now I wear my sins like medals carved in flesh and in my heart. Outro So I carry every ghost, let ‘em rattle in my bones, There’s a comfort in the madness when you’re never quite alone. If I never reach that valley, yeah, I finally understand— Shangri-La’s just a coffin I can open with my hands.
