[Spoken Intro] They say the brightest smiles hide the darkest thoughts... And sometimes surviving another day is all we can do. For those who raised us, and those we now raise. [Verse 1] Breakfast table, morning light Hide the shadows of the night Mother calls with hopeful tone While kids play on their own "Yes, I'm fine" - the daily lie As their laughter passes by Every smile a heavy mask Living through this endless task Till the weight becomes too much [Chorus] Drowning in the crystal sea Waves of pain consuming me But I smile to keep them safe While my soul begins to chafe How much longer can I breathe? 'Fore the darkness sets me free [Verse 2] Father's dreams upon my head Like a crown of burning lead Little arms around my waist While inside I slowly waste Can't let down their hopes and prayers Though I'm drowning on the stairs Watch them trust with innocent eyes All believe my perfect lies When the darkness feels like home [Bridge] Sometimes in the dead of night When the pain becomes too bright Watch my children peaceful sleep While these demons make me weep Would my parents understand? Why I can't reach for their hand Would my kids forgive someday? Why their father went away Trapped between love and release [Verse 3] Pack their lunches, brush their hair While inside burns dark despair Parents' pride and children's joy Both depend on this decoy Love them more than life itself Yet I'm dying on this shelf Every kiss that we exchange Adds more guilt than I can name Till truth must break us all [Spoken Outro] The cruelest part isn't the pain we feel... But knowing our absence would echo through generations. Forward through our children's future, backward through our parents' past.
