[Verse 1]
Woke up with a cracked grin
Teeth tight, jaw wired thin
Laugh stuck in a throat full of knives
Am I blessed or just barely alive
Scars on my tongue from biting back
Smiles on my pics, but they all look flat
I keep switching, flipping in my chest
Halo in my hand, horns on my head
[Chorus]
I don't know if I should choose my rage
Or fake this joy and play it safe
I swing from heaven to a steel cage
I'm stuck between a prayer and a flame
(yeah)
I don't know if I should choose my rage
Or drown my fury in a painted face
I'm split right down the middle of my veins
I'm stuck between a prayer and a flame
[Verse 2]
Friends say, "you’re glowing, you’re fine"
They don't see the gasoline behind my eyes
I say, "I'm good," but I'm grinding bone
Building a bonfire inside my home
Every joke tastes like metal
Every hug sits on a kettle
I keep pacing circles in my head
Do I forgive or leave it all red
[Chorus]
I don't know if I should choose my rage
Or fake this joy and play it safe
I swing from heaven to a steel cage
I'm stuck between a prayer and a flame
I don't know if I should choose my rage
Or drown my fury in a painted face
I'm split right down the middle of my veins
I'm stuck between a prayer and a flame
[Bridge]
[breakdown – drums and bass peel back, vocal almost whispered]
Heartbeat too loud for this quiet mask
Soft words, hard thoughts, they clash
If I let it burn, will it burn me out
If I swallow it down, will I ever climb out
(count it down)
Three breaths in
Two fists clenched
One choice left
Do I break, do I bend
[Chorus]
I don't know if I should choose my rage
Or fake this joy and play it safe
I swing from heaven to a steel cage
I'm stuck between a prayer and a flame
I don't know if I should choose my rage
Or drown my fury in a painted face
I'm split right down the middle of my veins
I'm stuck between a prayer and a flame