The curtains climb to the ceiling, and the lights dim

All eyes on the miles of the shoes I tried to walk in

Maybe once too often, stalked by bitter silence

To memorize the lines that were etched into my irises

Followed the script 'till I was part of the plot line

Found the spot where these two lives intertwine:

One where my reflection wouldn't look me in the eye

And the other with a confidence that I could never recognize

I built these bones out of lethargy and broken glass

Pieced the mask together with torn out pieces of the past

Stitched the smile with surrender, it didn't take long

Before this body became a costume that I couldn't take off

The premise sounded perfect. All I did was practice

Adapted to the characters that I carefully crafted

But knew I was a miscast the moment that my mouth

Started reciting words that I knew I wouldn't write myself

I've played the lover, best friend, and the son

I've played the pillar, the temple, lifeline, and the loaded gun

Played the optimist, the pessimist, I've even played the glass

I've played the characters so long that I forgot this was an act

Reality's a passing glance. Truth, a novelty

Promise is just a simple misstep from dishonesty

I didn't lie on purpose. Learn for certain it's a habit

I'm not open like a book, love. I'm open like a casket

See, I'm the beggar with a suit and tie, lover with no alibi

Hit and miss, I learned to kiss with lips that taste like iodine

And clean my slate so heaven's hate doesn't feel so distant

The stench of cleanliness is mighty inconsistent

Sometimes I smell like cigarettes and last calls

Face painted with regrets from memories I passed on

I won't pass on until I learn what the words mean

The pressure behind every one is starting to concern me

Happy hour has been echoing like church bells

It makes this innocence somewhat of a hard sell

But I've found every time that I'm down

I can figure out my problems just by looking around

At all the trouble that surrounds my glass, eyes glazed and looking past

My surroundings while I'm drowning. Life and death fail to contrast

Juxtaposed, thrown away, a symptom of our dying days:

Were nothing more than memories at the bottom of an ash tray

I've played the lover, best friend, and the son

I've played the pillar, the temple, lifeline, and the loaded gun

I've played the optimist, the pessimist, I even played the glass

I've played the characters so long that I forgot this was an act

Reality's a passing glance. Truth is a novelty

A promise is just a simple misstep from dishonesty

I didn't lie on purpose. Learn for certain it's a habit

I'm not open like a book, love. I'm open like a casket

I'm just a normal guy that happens to make music

Shifting through the notes to figure out what the truth is

This is to the pages that I've scribbled on and scratched out

Just so I could hear the way an empty heart and pen sounds

But it sounds like death; it sounds like contempt; it sounds like secrets that I kept

Tucked neatly underneath my bedsheets

So I could be closer to the truth when I fall asleep

It's not to say that I won't let em out

But you shouldn't be surprised when I contradict myself

We're only human. Thoughts change, so do you

Inconsistency shouldn't be anything new

I'm left to stumble, and it's purely out of habit

My eyes try to find where life and song attach

This is a promise. The reason I'm so distant is

The difference between right and wrong has gotten so ambiguous