[Verse I] Paint the creed upon the skin Louder cloth, deeper kin Thread the colors, stitch the name Wear the wound and wear the flame Badge and banner, ash and thread Words like crowns upon the head Not for warmth and not for rain But to show who bears the stain [Pre-Chorus] Dress the altar, mark the floor Choose your side and name your war [Chorus] Costume war Cloth and creed become the sword Costume war Signs we wear become the word Name them weak and name them blind Cut the soul and keep the sign Under chant and under scar We forget how close we are [Verse II] Sharpen language, trim it thin Make a tribe and fence it in Holy, broken, red or blue Each one saying not like you Masks of reason, masks of grace Masks of outrage on the face Faith and nation, class and pain All can harden into chain [Pre-Chorus] Lift the cloth and strike the drum Call the others what they’ve become [Chorus] Costume war Armor made of borrowed lore Costume war Names become a closing door Call them fools and call them fraud Call them savior, call them flawed Under flag and avatar We forget how near we are [Bridge] (folk sermon / sparse pulse) Who taught cloth to carry blame? Who taught names to swallow names? If I wear my grief as shield What of truth I never yield? If each sign can hide the face Can I love beyond my place? Can I speak before I scar… In this war… This costume war… [Final Chorus] Costume war Not all cloth was made for war Not all signs were built to scar Not all names must close the door See the wound and see the hand Not the tribe we understand Under ash and avatar We were human from the start [Outro – whispered confession] Sometimes I wore it too. Sometimes I named before I knew. Sometimes I saw the cloth… And missed the soul beneath.
