Roar & Whimper

[Intro] [Massive, staccato brass stabs and thunderous tympani drums hit in a dark, triumphant march] [Vocals: A loud, intimidating, growling rap delivery] Clear the room. The apex is here. Bow your heads. [Verse 1] [The heavy orchestral march continues, driven by a trap hi-hat] [Vocals: Aggressive, boastful, dominating the track] I wear the crown of teeth, I wear the cloak of heavy hide. There is absolutely nowhere for the lesser ones to hide. I command the architecture, I dictate the heavy flow. I tell the water where to stop and tell the wind to blow. You see the swagger in the step, you hear the thunder in the lung. I am the sharpest syllable that anyone has sung. I project absolute destruction, a monument of stone. I am entirely untouchable and happily alone. [Pre-Chorus] [The entire orchestra abruptly cuts out on the downbeat. A vast, echoing silence.] [Vocals: Spoken, tiny, stripped of all bravado] At least, that's what I tell them. [Chorus] [A single, sparse, melancholic acoustic piano begins to play, intimately close-mic'd] [Vocals: Raw, vulnerable, cracking with emotion, purely sung] But I whimper in the dark. (Hear me cry) When the theater shuts down. (Wonder why) I take off all the iron and I strip away the fierce. And wait for a connection that will never truly pierce. I roar for the audience, I roar for the crowd. But the silence in my chest is incredibly loud. Just holding out my hand for a solitary touch. Is asking to be seen really asking for too much? [Verse 2] [The massive brass and tympani slam back in without warning, jarring and loud] [Vocals: Instantly back to the aggressive, growling rap, covering up the vulnerability] Wipe the eye, square the shoulder, step back out onto the floor. I am the absolute authority and winner of the war. I snap the femur, crack the rib, and execute the play. I am the fiercest predator to ever walk the day. I do not know the word surrender, do not comprehend retreat. I am the undisputed champion of this specific street. [Pre-Chorus] [The entire orchestra abruptly cuts out on the downbeat. A vast, echoing silence.] [Vocals: Spoken, tiny, stripped of all bravado] And I am so tired. [Chorus] [A single, sparse, melancholic acoustic piano begins to play, intimately close-mic'd] [Vocals: Raw, vulnerable, cracking with emotion, purely sung] But I whimper in the dark. (Hear me cry) When the theater shuts down. (Wonder why) I take off all the iron and I strip away the fierce. And wait for a connection that will never truly pierce. I roar for the audience, I roar for the crowd. But the silence in my chest is incredibly loud. Just holding out my hand for a solitary touch. Is asking to be seen really asking for too much? [Outro] [The piano plays a final, unresolved chord that hangs in the air] [Vocals: Whispered, almost crying] Please don't look at me. [Silence]