The Grand Illusion

[Intro – spoken, quiet theatrical tone] Ladies and gentlemen… Before we end tonight’s performance… there is just one final trick. [Verse 1] Spotlights fading in the haze Echoes from a thousand plays Every promise, every fall Painted shadows on the wall Every hero, every blame Different mask, the same old game Truth and fiction intertwined Lines rehearsed inside the mind [Pre-Chorus] Curtain falling Stage grows dim Was it real Or just a whim [Chorus] The grand illusion The final show A thousand stories We never know The grand illusion Smoke and light Everything clear Until the night The grand illusion [Verse 2] Crowds dissolve into the dark Leaving just a fading spark Every scandal, every cry Floating through the painted sky Actors leave the silent stage Turn the final scripted page Yet the whisper lingers on Long after the lights are gone [Pre-Chorus] Empty seats Silent room Every truth Lost in bloom [Chorus] The grand illusion The final act Every promise Rewritten fact The grand illusion Smoke and flame Different players Same old game [Bridge – heavier riff section] Turn the wheel Start again New disguise Same old men Round and round The story spins Every ending Just begins [Break – spoken softly] The stage is empty. The crowd is gone. But the illusion… remains. [Final Chorus – big arena finale] The grand illusion The endless show Every answer We never know The grand illusion Hear the roar As the curtain Falls once more The grand illusion [Outro – spoken quietly] Thank you… for believing