(Intro - 8 bars of fast, driving guitar, bass, and drums)
(Verse 1)
Sunrise bleeds across the dash
Another Monday's psychic crash
Got my coffee, got the keys
Got a dozen ways to feign some ease
The engine hums a nervous tune
This afternoon will come too soon
The ghost that used to scream and shout
Just whispers things to worry 'bout
He's got a tie on, combed his hair
And tells me all the ways I should be scared
(Chorus)
Welcome to the after-show, the encore of the dread
The ringing in my ears has settled to a drone inside my head
It’s a different kind of paranoid, the kind that pays the loan
And I’m a high-functioning screw-up, a king on a collapsing throne
I’m not cracking up, I’m just holding the cracks
And smiling back
(Verse 2)
The office lights are buzzing bright
I analyze who’s being too polite
That compliment, was it a jab?
This friendly pat right on my back
I fake a smile at happy hour
Watch my own anxieties devour
Any chance of feeling real
They're all talking, I just nod and peel
The label from my bottle of beer
And wish that I could disappear
(Chorus)
Welcome to the after-show, the encore of the dread
The ringing in my ears has settled to a drone inside my head
It’s a different kind of paranoid, the kind that pays the loan
And I’m a high-functioning screw-up, a king on a collapsing throne
I’m not cracking up, I’m just holding the cracks
And smiling back
(Guitar Solo)
(A melodic, frantic solo that feels like a controlled panic attack. It follows the chord progression of the chorus, full of fast runs and bent notes, but feels more structured and less chaotic than a youthful explosion. It ends abruptly, leading back into the bridge.)
(Bridge)
Remember screaming at the walls?
These days I just accept the calls
From the manic echo of my youth
Polished up to look like truth
Traded panic for a low-grade hum
Is this recovery, or just fashionably numb?
(Chorus)
Welcome to the after-show, the encore of the dread
The ringing in my ears is a familiar drone inside my head
It’s the same old brand of paranoid, the kind that pays the loan
And I’m a high-functioning screw-up, a king on a collapsing throne
I’m not cracking up, I’m just holding all the cracks
And never looking back
(Outro)
The static stays…
(Guitar riff repeats)
The static stays…
(Bass and drums become more prominent)
It just finds new ways…
(Music fades out on the repeating guitar riff)
kriegerdemon666
