Catfish Cynic

(A heavy, industrial marching snare hits at a punishing 130 BPM. Aggressive, low-end dubstep growls rip through the background.)

Don't tell me who you are, I’ve heard the script before.

Everyone is perfect until they walk through the door.

You give me these beautiful paragraphs late at night, But my past has taught me how to spot a phantom in the light.

Are you just putting on a performance to see if you can win?

To see how fast you can get under my skin?

Because the second I start believing the words on my screen, I remember every single liar that I’ve ever seen.

(The marching drums double in speed. A metallic, screeching mid-range synth rises rapidly, creating an intense sense of claustrophobia.)

I’m picking apart your syntax, looking for the trap.

Waiting for the moment your digital armor starts to crack.

Burn me once, shame on you, but I won’t play the fool.

Show me something real, because this phone is getting cold.

(The beat drops into a massive, heavy hybrid-dubstep rhythm. The bass hits like a physical punch, accompanied by chaotic, glitched-out synth stabs.)

[Female]: Yeah, you made me a catfish cynic! Staring at your picture but I don't believe a minute!I’m terrified of the version of you I love the most, Because I don’t know if I’m kissing a man or a ghost! Are you gonna stand up? Are you gonna be true? Or am I just wasting my anxiety on you? (Glitched vocal sample:) Wasting it... wasting it... on a ghost...

(The aggressive dubstep elements instantly drop out, switching to a gritty, old-school hip-hop breakbeat. The sub-bass remains deep and pulsing.)

[Male Guest Rapper]: Yeah, look—you’re pointing all these weapons at a man who’s unarmed. Projecting every single trauma from the guys who did you harm. I’m out here being raw, putting my heart on the line, But you’re treating my text messages like a scene of a crime.

I told you I was busy, I told you I was swamped with the grind, But I still sent that paragraph, you were still on my mind! You say you want consistency, you say you want the truth, But you're sabotaging this before I can even prove it to you!

I’ve got scars in my chest from the girls who ran games, I’m pacing round my room too, fighting the exact same flames.

Stop looking for a ghost in a man who's standing right here. Don't push me away just because you're drowning in fear.

(The drums cut completely. The music drops to a deep, dark sub-bass drone. The two vocals overlap aggressively, mixed to sound like they are shouting over a bad phone connection.)

[Female]: Then why did the energy drop? Why did you leave me on read?!

[Male Rapper]: Because I’m living in reality, not inside of your head!

[Female]: I just need you to be human! I need you to be real!

[Male Rapper]: I am being human! You're just too scared to feel!

[Female]: Prove it then.

[Male Rapper]: Tell me where to go.

[Female]: Step out of the screen.

[Male Rapper]: I’m already on the road