[Intro - Clean electric guitar arpeggios, single snare hit on beat 2] [Verse 1] Champagne sun through penthouse blinds Another night I left behind Keys to cars I never drive Names and faces blurred inside Silk sheets cold on the other side Where the girl who loved the limelight lied And the mirror shows a stranger's eyes At 4 AM, no disguise [Pre-Chorus - Drums build, bass enters] They say "you've won, why don't you smile?" But the trophy case runs for miles And every handshake leaves a bruise Every curtain call, I lose [Chorus - Full band, distorted guitars, driving crash cymbals] How much longer can I live like this? Walls closing in on every kiss Got the world's hands around my throat Drowning in everything I wrote All the yeses turned to stone Every city feels like home but it's not No, it's not Tell me how much longer I can live like this [Verse 2] Phone buzzes with another demand Manager, lawyer, a shaking hand Another hotel, another land Where the exit sign's my only plan I smiled so long my face went numb The anxiety's a second lung And the crowd screams out for one more song But the quiet backstage is where I don't belong [Pre-Chorus - Bass rumble, toms building] They sold me freedom in a gilded cage Now the spotlight burns with holy rage And my mother's voice on the voicemail says "Baby, when you comin' home to bed?" [Chorus - Full band, backing vocals echo "live like this"] How much longer can I live like this? Walls closing in on every kiss Got the world's hands around my throat Drowning in everything I wrote All the yeses turned to stone Every city feels like home but it's not No, it's not Tell me how much longer I can live like this [Bridge - Stripped down, clean guitar, vulnerable vocal, then builds] (Soft) I wanted this since I was ten Staring at the posters on my wall back then (Drums enter, heavier) But nobody tells you the cost of the crown The way the hotel rooms wear you down (Pause - single breath) (Band explodes - full distortion, crash cymbals) I've been running so fast I forgot how to stand still! Every dream I chased came with a bitter pill! And the thing I wanted most is the thing that broke my will! So I'm screaming at the ceiling on this hundred-dollar quilt! [Chorus - Half-time feel, more desperate, vocal cracks with emotion] How much longer can I live like this? I can't remember my own kids' birthdays I missed Got the devil in a business suit Pouring whiskey from a golden chute And the question cuts me to the bone Standing in a mausoleum I call home How much longer... how much longer... [Outro - Band fades to single distorted guitar, then clean] (Spoken/sung, raw, almost whispering) I don't know who I am without the lights I don't know who I am in the quiet nights (Single chord, ring out) (Final line, held note, cracking) I don't wanna... live like this... (Guitar feedback, fades to silence)
