Paper-Thin Masquerade

[Verse 1]
Smile like glass
Every time they call my name
Tilt my head
Say the lines
I know my frame
Perfect laugh
Practiced in the bathroom stall
Pull it on
Like a coat that’s not mine at all
[Chorus]
I’m two girls in the same reflection
One’s a habit
One’s confession
I can’t tell which one I made
(and which one made me)
I’m dressed up in expectations
Paper-thin masquerade
Hurting like hell inside my chest
But you just see the shade
[Verse 2]
Different face
For every room I walk into
Change my shape
Just to fit the angle of you
Call me “strong”
Yeah
I play that part on cue
But when the crowd goes gone
I don’t know who’s pulling through
[Chorus]
I’m two girls in the same reflection
One’s a habit
One’s confession
I can’t tell which one I made
(and which one made me)
I’m dressed up in expectations
Paper-thin masquerade
Chaos pouring through my head
But you just see me fade
[Bridge]
Who am I when no one’s watching?
When the makeup hits the sink
When my hands stop clapping for you
Do I even get to think?
If I peel off every layer
Would there be a name to say?
Or just echoes in the hallway
Of the girl I gave away?
[Chorus]
I’m two girls in the same reflection
One’s a wound and one’s protection
I can’t tell which one will stay
(which one will break me)
I’m dressed up in expectations
Paper-thin masquerade
Bleeding quietly in plain sight
But you just see okay

Moody alt-pop ballad with female vocals; intimate piano and distant pads in the verses, heartbeat kick and soft bass entering on the chorus. Subtle reverse effects and whispered doubles create a fractured, chaotic inner world; hook blooms with stacked harmonies and a soaring top line, then drops back to sparse, vulnerable closing., female vocals