Painted Smile

<intro>

Smear the red across my face,

Hide the cracks the world can’t trace.

Ha—ha—ha… *<laugh>*

The mirror says, “You look alive,”

But inside, I barely survive.

<verse 1> (rap)

Every morning, same disguise,

Paint the grin beneath my eyes.

Crowds don’t care, they want the cheer,

So I drown the doubt they’d never hear.

Ha—ha—ha! *<laugh>*

Smile wide, don’t let it slip,

Hold the tears behind the lip.

<pre-chorus> (sung)

They see color, I feel gray,

A canvas cracked, I fade away.

<chorus>

Painted smile, dripping down,

I’m the king of every frown.

Ha—ha—ha! *<laugh>*

Clap for joy, but hear the cry,

My laughter’s just a lullaby.

<verse 2> (rap)

Under lights, my mask is glue,

Keeps the world from seeing through.

Every laugh’s a scar that stays,

Echoes from my better days.

Hee—hee—hee! *<laugh>*

Can’t tell if I’m clown or ghost,

Both wear makeup, both are hosts.

<bridge> (spoken/sung, eerie)

Scrub the smile, it won’t erase,

It’s carved into this broken face.

Ha—ha—ha… *<laugh>*

Underneath, I’m not the same,

But no one laughs without my pain.

<chorus>

Painted smile, dripping down,

I’m the king of every frown.

Ha—ha—ha—ha! *<laugh>*

They cheer for light, I live in night,

A clown who laughs to stay alive.

<outro>

Smear the paint, the red runs thin,

The joke’s on me — it always wins.

Ha… *<laugh>*

The curtain falls, the makeup fades,

But the smile stays.