A Sheep's Mask

[Intro] Wearing a sheep's mask Always have Wearing a sheep's mask Still on [Verse 1] I learned early What the room wanted Soft and agreeable Easy to be around So I made the mask Carefully crafted Wool and white And harmless looking Wore it so long The mask knows my face Or maybe now My face knows the mask Can't remember Which came first The sheep Or the wanting to seem like one [Pre-Chorus] Not a wolf underneath Not exactly Something more complicated Than that old story [Chorus] A sheep's mask Soft on the outside A sheep's mask What's on the inside Been wearing it so long Can't find the face A sheep's mask Am I the mask Or is the mask Me now Me now [Verse 2 — Rap] Let me break down The sheep's mask economy High demand Low supply of honesty The market rewards The agreeable ones The nodders The yes-and people I studied the market Made the product Perfected the wool texture Got good at the baa But here's the thing About wearing masks The face underneath Keeps shifting Tries to match The mask above it Or forgets itself Entirely I took the mask off once Just to check Didn't recognize What was underneath Put it back on While I figured it out Still wearing it Still figuring [Pre-Chorus] Not comfortable Not uncomfortable Just so familiar Can't tell the difference [Chorus] A sheep's mask Soft on the outside A sheep's mask What's on the inside Been wearing it so long Can't find the face A sheep's mask Am I the mask Or is the mask Me now Me now [Bridge — Psychedelic drift] What if the sheep Is not the mask What if the sheep Is what grew underneath What if the wearing Changed the wearer What if the pretending Became the being The mask doesn't lie If you wear it long enough The mask becomes A second skin And the second skin Becomes the first And the first Forgets it was ever different But somewhere in the dream Between the wool and the face Something stirs That remembers Something that was Before the market Before the room wanted Before the mask [Spoken Word — barely audible] I think I know what's under it I think I've always known I just keep the mask on Because the knowing is loud And the mask is quiet And quiet is easier Than whatever that sound is [Final Chorus] A sheep's mask Taking it off now A sheep's mask Or trying to What's underneath is louder Than I expected A sheep's mask Not a wolf Not a sheep either Something that was there Before the mask Before the mask [Outro] Wearing a sheep's mask Still on Taking it off Slowly What's under it Still figuring out A sheep's mask Almost off Almost Almost