Ghosts in the Static

[INTRO — distant helicopters / radio chatter / heartbeat] (Clean guitar with reggae skank rhythm under eerie synths) “Unit seven… do you copy…? We lost him after the blast…” (Explosion — full band drops in) [VERSE 1 — rhythmic metal rap over bouncing reggae groove] I came home with a rifle still stuck in my head Boots by the doorway, but I still sleep armed in bed Crowded room — eyes track every exit Heart rate spike when a car backfires — I can't dead it Night sweats soak through the sheets every night See shadows moving in the corners when I kill the light My little boy touched my shoulder — I swung around swinging Now my wife cries in silence while the tinnitus ringing Every morning feel like deployment again Hypervigilance loaded underneath the skin Store aisle got me boxed in — panic attack rising Old man dropped a can — now I'm back where the sirens— GO OFF Bodies in the dust Smoke in my lungs Another friend gone young Now I drink just to feel numb [PRE-CHORUS — melodic clean vocals] And I know they say the war is done But the war still marches in my blood Every memory pulls the trigger back I survived... but never made it back [CHORUS — massive melodic metalcore chorus] I BROUGHT THE WAR HOME NOW IT LIVES INSIDE ME Every hallway feels like enemy territory I CAN'T SHUT IT OFF THE STATIC KEEPS SCREAMING Ghosts in the silence Still hunting me while I'm breathing (Half-time chugs) PTSD — branded into me Another broken soldier nobody sees [VERSE 2 — aggressive double-time metal rap] Medicated mornings, liquor bottle evenings Smile for civilians while internally bleeding Isolation prison, self-destruction religion Can't explain combat to people who've never seen it I flinch when the fireworks burst in the summer sky Fourth of July turns into another night to die Hands shaking in traffic, palms covered in sweat Road rage trigger because my brain ain't left yet Disassociation — staring through the glass Therapist asking me to unpack the past But every damn memory comes back in pieces Friends screaming my name while the gunfire increases I hear 'em Still hear 'em In every silence In every dream In every second between [BREAKDOWN — crushing downtempo] (Tempo drops — dissonant chugs) ONE MORE NIGHT WITHOUT SLEEP BLEGH— I'M A CASUALTY WALKING A BODY STILL BREATHING A MAN LEFT TO ROT WHILE THE SYSTEM STOPPED SEEING (Machine-gun kick pattern) Eyes wide open Knife by the bed Can't kill the war When the war's in my head [BRIDGE — atmospheric reggae section with haunting melody] (Bass-heavy reggae groove / clean vocals with delay) Smoke drift through the midnight air Sirens singing everywhere Trying to find peace in a world so loud But the battlefield follows me around Mama said “Son, you're finally home” But my soul never crossed that ocean [FINAL CHORUS — huge layered vocals] I BROUGHT THE WAR HOME NOW IT LIVES INSIDE ME Every heartbeat sounds like incoming artillery I CAN'T SHUT IT OFF THE STATIC KEEPS SCREAMING Ghosts in the silence Still hunting me while I'm breathing (Gang vocals) NO PEACE NO REST JUST WAR IN MY CHEST [OUTRO — clean guitar + static] (Breathing heavily) “Unit seven… respond…” (Long silence) “…please respond…” (flatline static)