Hollow Cheers

(Verse 1)

They roll out the carpet, they're shaking my hand

A hero returned to the promised land

Confetti is falling, the kids shout my name

But all that I see is the smoke and the flame

They pin on a medal, all shiny and new

For all of the things that they think that I do

(Chorus)

'Cause these cheers all sound hollow, the praise feels like lies

There's a ghost of the battlefield back in my eyes

They call me a hero, a name I can't own

For the deeds that I've done under blood-colored skies

(Verse 2)

The quiet of morning, the coffee I brew

Is shattered by echoes of things that I knew

A car backfires, I'm hitting the ground

Lost in the memory, lost in the sound

They tell me I'm brave, they tell me I'm strong

But they never saw where it all went so wrong

(Chorus)

'Cause these cheers all sound hollow, the praise feels like lies

There's a ghost of the battlefield back in my eyes

They call me a hero, a name I can't own

For the deeds that I've done under blood-colored skies

(Verse 3)

I walk through the town that I fought to defend

Just looking for peace, for a story to end

I'm trying to find the man I was before

But he got left behind in the heat of the war

I smile and I wave, and I play out the part

With a stranger's reflection inside of my heart

(Chorus)

'Cause these cheers all sound hollow, the praise feels like lies

There's a ghost of the battlefield back in my eyes

They call me a hero, a name I can't own

For the deeds that I've done under blood-colored skies