Mask of Quiet Fire

[Intro] I pull the mask back with a sigh, the room tilts like a tide Neon breath and cigarette ash, the truth hides in the light [Verse 1] Late-night whispers ghost the walls, a clock keeps cruel time Notes we never sang aloud, the syllables misalign Your eyes pretend they’re sure of me, but the truth is a thin thread We stitch it with excuses, and swallow what we dread [Pre-Chorus] I hear my own heartbeat drum a stubborn, quiet plea Stay, dissolve the doubt, stay, refuse the need to break free [Chorus] We wear our masks to keep the fire in check, to hide what’s burning underneath A scent of ghost and gasoline on lips that won’t concede a single breath If loyalty is a cage, I’m counting every breath I’d have to take to leave But the heat keeps pulling me closer, and the truth won’t let me sleep [Verse 2] You shift the tell-tale signs like rain rearranging streets Clothes of confidence, but the truth is threadbare, and the heart still bleeds I lacquer the truth with pretty lies, so sharp they gleam and sting A chandelier of apologies sways above a hollow ring [Pre-Chorus] I pace the line between love and longing, steady and unafraid To stay is to barter silence for every future price paid [Chorus] We wear our masks to keep the fire in check, to hide what’s burning underneath A scent of ghost and gasoline on lips that won’t concede a single breath If loyalty is a cage, I’m counting every breath I’d have to take to leave But the heat keeps pulling me closer, and the truth won’t let me sleep [Bridge] Between the words you don’t say and the silence you command I am choosing me, though it hurts to stand Ghosts drift through the room like embers in the dark I’m learning to speak in defiance, a spark against the arc [Chorus] We wear our masks to keep the fire in check, to hide what’s burning underneath A scent of ghost and gasoline on lips that won’t concede a single breath If loyalty is a cage, I’m counting every breath I’d have to take to leave But the heat keeps pulling me closer, and the truth won’t let me sleep [Outro] Mask slips and dawn alights, the heat recedes to tender ache I keep the truth as a quiet vow, for my own heart’s sake