The Human Exhibit

[Chorus] This body, a weapon This touch, a deception You see a masterpiece I feel my release [Verse 1] Paint my lips red A word unsaid A promise of the dead [Verse 2] This skin of glass A front-line pass Let the moment pass [Verse 3] My mind is cold A story sold Before I'm getting old [Bridge] But then you laughed, A sound so out of place in this cold war of mine And for a heartbeat, I forgot the strategy, the part I was assigned I saw a man, not just a mark, And the weapon shook in my hand. [Chorus] [Verse 4] I see your hunger Pulling me under A fatal blunder [Verse 5] A calculated sigh A well-constructed lie Watch the minutes die [Verse 6] You think you're in control You're paying the toll For my empty soul [Bridge] But every touch now feels like A lie I'm telling to myself, not you The memory of that simple laugh Is a poison seeping through This isn't power, it's a cage, And I'm rattling the bars in silent rage. [Chorus] [Verse 7] The game is won The rising sun See what I've become [Verse 8] I wash you off my skin A war I cannot win A sin against my kin [Verse 9] But in the final hour The taste is sour But I have the power [Bridge] I'll play this part a thousand times To hide the girl who's terrified That if she isn't a weapon or a prize, She is nothing at all So I build my worth on your defeat, A victory that's bittersweet, and wait for my own fall. [Chorus] This body, a weapon This touch, a deception You see a masterpiece... Is this my release?

[Chorus] Another notch, another thrill A story I can spill It's not the chase I need It's just my fucking greed [Verse 1] The pack awaits It seals my fates Among the heavyweights [Verse 2] Hide the fear inside Take them for a ride Nowhere left to hide [Verse 3] Another drink, another line This world is never mine A borrowed, cheap design [Bridge] And then you looked at me, Not with desire, but with a clinical kind of pity You saw the script, you heard the lines, And you just weren't impressed by this city's committee You asked "Are you happy?", And the predator froze. [Chorus] [Verse 4] I read the script My tongue has tripped My ego has been whipped [Verse 5] Your body is the prize Behind my lying eyes Another truth just dies [Verse 6] I win or lose the game It always feels the same A whisper of my shame [Bridge] I need the kill to feel alive, To prove to the ghosts inside my head that I can survive But your simple question was a blade, A perfectly aimed grenade It didn't kill the man, It just killed the charade. [Chorus] [Verse 7] The morning comes My spirit numbs I count the filthy sums [Verse 8] A silent text On to the next Forever hexed [Verse 9] I hate the man I see Staring back at me He'll never be free [Bridge] I hunt you down to kill the boy Who screams inside that he's a toy A simple tool that has to be used To keep the system's lies amused But you didn't run, you just stood still, And broke my goddamn will. [Chorus] Another notch. Another thrill. A story I can't spill. It's not the chase I need. It is my fucking greed.

[Chorus] Golden cage, a pretty lie A place for me to die I have everything I need Except the air to breathe [Verse 1] The silk against my skin Lets the silence in Where do I begin? [Verse 2] The diamonds on my hand Are grains of desert sand A barren, promised land [Verse 3] He calls me "queen" The loneliest you've seen So perfect and so clean [Bridge] Last night I packed a single bag With my old name and a stolen flag I walked to the door, my hand on the brass, Ready to shatter the looking-glass And I saw my reflection, Pale and scared, and utterly unprepared. [Chorus] [Verse 4] I smile for the guests I pass all the tests No room for protests [Verse 5] My scream is a decor Behind a closed door I don't feel anymore [Verse 6] I am the perfect wife The ghost in his life I sharpen the knife [Bridge] I unpacked the bag, I hid the shame, I whispered my forgotten name The comfort isn't a quiet knife, It's the drug that keeps me from my life And I am the dealer and the fiend, The most pathetic kind of queen. [Chorus] [Verse 7] I take the little pill To keep my spirit still To break my iron will [Verse 8] They say I'm blessed Among the very best God put me to the test [Verse 9] But in this paradise I'm frozen, cold as ice Living the same day twice [Bridge] This isn't living, It's a trade I made with the monster I was afraid to be I chose the comfort, I chose the fear, I chose to disappear right here The key isn't lost, It's in my hand, in this barren, promised land. [Chorus] Golden cage. A pretty lie. A place I chose to die. I have everything I need. I am the corrupted seed.

[Chorus] This fortress made of stone Is the only home I've known It keeps the world away And keeps my soul at bay [Verse 1] They need a pillar A silent killer A hero, not a man [Verse 2] So I build the wall And I stand up tall I stick to the plan [Verse 3] No crack can ever show Nowhere for the pain to go So I let the poison grow [Bridge] But last night I dreamt of a boy by the sea, Who wasn't afraid to let his knees bleed He cried when the tide took his castle of sand, With no one to tell him he had to withstand And I woke up choking on the dust of my own hand. [Chorus] [Verse 4] My shoulder takes the weight I seal my own fate It's getting very late [Verse 5] My hands can build a home But they can't write a poem About the man alone [Verse 6] My tears turn into dust My feelings into rust In silence, I will trust [Bridge] You reached for my hand, a simple, Human request for a crack in the dam I pulled back like I was burned, A lesson viciously learned To show a wound is to be dead meat, So I chose my own defeat. [Chorus] [Verse 7] One day the stone will crack There's no turning back The world will see the black [Verse 8] They'll say "he was so strong" They got it fucking wrong I've been weak all along [Verse 9] The final, heavy blow The only truth I'll show Is when I let it go [Bridge] This fortress wasn't for the world outside, It was a place for the boy to hide From the pathetic, screaming thing this World would break if he dared to sing So I buried him alive, right here inside, And called it masculine pride. [Chorus] This fortress made of stone. The only tomb I've known. It kept the world away. Now there's nothing left to save.

[Chorus] Hysterical, historical My pain is allegorical You call it madness, I call it truth The bitter harvest of my youth [Verse 1] My scream is just a tic You call me lunatic It makes your conscience sick [Verse 2] My tears are just a flood Bad chemistry, bad blood A truth misunderstood [Verse 3] My anger is "so cute" A flower with no root You press the fucking mute [Bridge] And for a while, I believed your story, That my fire was a flaw, a genetic sorry I took the pills, I breathed in deep, And tried to put my honest rage to sleep I almost became your perfect, quiet sheep. [Chorus] [Verse 4] They give me little pills To cure my "female ills" To pay the doctor's bills [Verse 5] They say "just breathe and smile" Stay quiet for a while Deny your own bile [Verse 6] I am the witch you fear The one who sees too clear The one you can't have here [Bridge] But in the silence, I found a lens, A way to see through your pretense My "madness" is a perfect light that illuminates your endless night You didn't break me, you just showed me how to truly, fucking fight. [Chorus] [Verse 7] You want a quiet girl To fit inside your world A flag that stays unfurled [Verse 8] But I am born of storms In unconventional forms I break all of your norms [Verse 9] So call me what you will I'll be a bitter pill Your blood, I'm gonna spill [Bridge] You're scared that if my dam should break, For goodness sake, for goodness sake My ocean would just wash away The pathetic world you built today So let me be your monster, let me be your sin, Because this is a war I plan to win. [Chorus] Hysterical. Historical. My power's allegorical. You call it madness? I call it truth. And I am the harvest of your youth.

[Chorus] My silence is a gun A war that can't be won I speak in violence, I speak in rage To hide the fear inside the cage [Verse 1] A fist against the wall The only prayer I recall Before the final fall [Verse 2] The words are in my throat A sinking, burning boat A final, strangled note [Verse 3] To speak would be to die To tell the truth, a lie To let the monster cry [Bridge] I remember the words i should have said, They echo in the canyons of my head "i'm scared", "i'm sorry", "please don't go", Seeds of a man i'll never let grow They rot inside me, A silent, bitter show. [Chorus] [Verse 4] I drink to kill the sound Of my soul hitting the ground Another lonely round [Verse 5] I fuck to feel the spark A light inside the dark A temporary mark [Verse 6] My rage is my best friend A means to an end A message I can send [Bridge] You asked me once what i was thinking, My whole world in that moment shrinking I wanted to say "only of you", But instead i punched the wall clean through And in your eyes i saw the death Of the man you thought you knew. [Chorus] [Verse 7] If you could see my mind The horror you would find The wreckage left behind [Verse 8] One day the gun goes off A final, hollow cough This world can just fuck off [Verse 9] You'll say you never knew You never had a clue And it will be the truth [Bridge] I never spoke the language of the weak, I never let my spirit speak So when you find my body cold, It's the only story i ever told My whole life's meaning, bought and sold By the words i couldn't hold. [Chorus] My silence was the gun. A war that can't be won. I spoke in violence, I spoke in rage. And died right here inside my cage.

[Chorus] This body is a state A territory of hate Where old men draw the lines And rape the fucking shrines [Verse 1] My skin is not a home It's just a field to roam A flag to plant your seed To satisfy your need [Verse 2] My legs are an open door You always ask for more You say it's my own fault [Verse 3] My "no" is a prelude To your attitude A challenge to your pride [Bridge] I remember running through a field as a girl, Bfore my body was a world For someone else to own and rule Just legs that ran and lungs that burned, A lesson violently unlearned I was a country, wild and free, I was just me. [Chorus] [Verse 4] My blood is a disgrace To be hidden from this place A secret and a shame A whisper of my name [Verse 5] My breasts are not for me They're for the baby Or for your fantasy [Verse 6] My voice is just a sound Lost on hollow ground When I say "I'm in pain" [Bridge] So last night, i took a needle and some ink, And on a part of me that only i can see, i drew a map A single star, a secret coast, The ghost of what i loved the most A quiet, bloody act of war, To claim what was my own before. [Chorus] [Verse 7] You enter without a key You break the best of me And then you walk away [Verse 8] I am the crime scene A memory obscene I scrub my skin raw [Verse 9] This body is a tomb A cold and empty room Where I used to live [Bridge] You didn't just break my skin and bone, You took my fucking safety zone But you can't occupy my mind, That is the one thing you will never find It is my last sovereign land, You'll never fucking understand. [Chorus] This body is a state. A territory of hate. Where old men draw the lines. But my soul is fucking mine.

[Chorus] A war machine, a simple beast From west to east, a hungry priest It's not allowed to fail or fall It has to answer to the call [Verse 1] This body is a tool To break the golden rule To work until it breaks [Verse 2] The pain is just a stat A number on a mat For goodness sakes [Verse 3] My blood is just the fuel To prove I'm not a fool To show that I can take [Bridge] System error: a scent of rain on summer asphalt caused a critical chain reaction in the memory banks A ghost of a boy chasing a ball, a feeling that makes no sense at all An inefficient, pointless subroutine that makes the engine unclean. [Chorus] [Verse 4] At night it has to work A fundamental perk A duty, not a choice [Verse 5] Desire is a lie You just comply You have no voice [Verse 6] A failure to perform Is a betrayal of the norm You have to rejoice [Bridge] Debugging protocol initiated: Increase dosage of stress, Fatigue, and chemical stimulants to burn the ghost from the code Push the chassis to its breaking point, dislocate the moral joint The glitch of feeling must be erased, or the entire unit will be replaced. [Chorus] [Verse 7] I break it every day In a fascinating way To prove that I am strong [Verse 8] I feed it drugs and stress To clean up my own mess Where I belong [Verse 9] One day the engine stalls And nobody calls They just move on [Bridge] And in the final shutdown sequence, The truth is clear in its cold elegance The machine was not built to serve, But to methodically un-nerve Its only purpose was to kill the man inside, And it performed its duty with robotic pride. [Chorus] A war machine. A simple beast. From west to east, the pain increased. It wasn't allowed to fail or fall. It answered the final call.

[Chorus] My expiration date is here I disappear, I disappear My only worth was in my face Now I'm just taking up the space [Verse 1] The mirror shows a crack There is no turning back The light has gone away [Verse 2] Their eyes just slide right past My shadow has been cast I have nothing left to say [Verse 3] I was a pretty thing A bird that used to sing Now I am just the cage [Bridge] I tried so hard to stay the same, to play the young and foolish game I bought the creams, I dyed the grey, I tried to keep the wolves at bay But time's a hunter, cold and cruel, and I was just its pretty fuel. [Chorus] [Verse 4] I am the good advice That no one ever tries The ghost at the debate [Verse 5] I am the second thought The battle never fought It is my final fate [Verse 6] To be the silent witness To all this fucking business Behind the garden gate [Bridge] But then a thought began to grow in the quiet dark where nothing shows If no one sees me, I am free to move among them silently My invisibility is not a cage, it is a backstage pass to the main stage. [Chorus] [Verse 7] My anger is a joke The final word I spoke Before my voice went dry [Verse 8] So I will be the witch The ugly, nasty bitch The one you can't deny [Verse 9] I'll haunt your perfect world A story left unfurled The sparkle in my eye [Bridge] I am no longer here for your desire, I am the witness in the fire I hear the secrets, see the lies, Reflected in my old, tired eyes You think I'm gone, but I am everywhere, A whisper of poison in the air. [Chorus] My expiration date is here. I disappear. I disappear. My only worth is in my rage. And I'm about to turn the page.

[Chorus] My throne is cracked, the gold is rust My legacy is turning dust My strength is gone, my power's fake For goodness sake, my soul will break [Verse 1] The silver in my hair Is a flag of my despair A sign of my defeat [Verse 2] The young ones smell the blood They bring the coming flood My retreat is complete [Verse 3] My name is just a word A story you have heard Obsolete, obsolete [Bridge] I look at all the things I built, This empire founded on my guilt For every brick, a promise broken, For every tower, words unspoken To the only people who were home, I left them for this golden tomb, alone. [Chorus] [Verse 4] My hands begin to shake A terrible mistake For a god to admit [Verse 5] My body is a traitor A sad commentator That tells me I should quit [Verse 6] My mind is full of holes Of forgotten goals I cannot make it fit [Bridge] So yesterday, I signed the deal, I made the final fiction real I sold the company for a dime, A final, monumental crime Just to see the panic in their eyes, Just to burn my own disguise. [Chorus] [Verse 7] I buy a faster car To hide my ugly scar To feel the thrill again [Verse 8] I find a younger girl To give my life a whirl To mask the bitter pain [Verse 9] But when the night is through There's nothing left to do But face the pouring rain [Bridge] I built an empire of my own design, And every single brick was mine But I forgot to build a friend, And so this is the bitter end I never wanted the reward, I only ever loved the sword, the climb, the war. [Chorus] My throne is cracked. The gold is rust. My legacy? I'll turn to dust. My strength is gone, my power's fake. My own damn soul was mine to break.

[Chorus] One role for you, one role for me A perfect, silent tragedy We serve the same sentence, you see For a crime we're not allowed to be [Verse 1] They gave me a mirror To see my own terror And call it my beauty [Verse 2] They gave me a hammer To build my own glamour And call it my duty [Verse 3] We played our parts so well In this self-created hell We thought that we were free [Bridge] And for a moment, through the bars, we saw the same indifferent stars We saw the warden turn the key and realized the enemy wasn't you, and it wasn't me We saw the blueprint of the cage. We felt the same ancestral rage. [Chorus] One role for you, one role for me A perfect, silent tragedy We serve the same sentence, you see For a crime we're not allowed to be [Verse 4] My prison was of light Too beautiful, too bright A cage of what is "good" [Verse 5] My prison was of stone Where I had to be alone And misunderstood [Verse 6] We stared across the yard And played our cards so hard And did the things we should [Bridge] But your softness feels like a blade, A judgment on the man I've made. And your hardness is a wall so high, It makes my freedom feel like a lie. It's easier to play the game, And whisper the old familiar blame It's easier to hate the slave beside you, Than the master you can't see. [Chorus] One role for you, one role for me A perfect, silent tragedy We serve the same sentence, you see For a crime we're not allowed to be [Verse 7] I bled to prove I'm pure A sickness with no cure A beautiful disease [Verse 8] I raged to prove I'm strong Where I have been all along Down on my fucking knees [Verse 9] We tried so hard to please The silent, cold decrees And find a moment's ease [Bridge] So look up now, beyond the stage, Beyond the anger and the rage The puppeteer is watching us, And finds our struggle fabulous We saw the exit for a breath, And chose the certainty of death, The comfort of our own cell's view. I'll go back to hating you. [Chorus] One role for me. One role for me. A perfect, silent tragedy. I serve my sentence. I serve mine too. For the crime of not being free.