PARIAH

(Distant static. Slow heartbeat. A door slams shut.)

"They told me I didn't belong."

"They told me I wasn't one of them."

"They called me an outcast."

(Heartbeat grows

"So I stopped asking for permission."

(Guitar riff crashes in.)

I spent years trying to fit inside your mold/

Bending who I was just to do what I was told.

Every step I took, every word I said/

Felt like another nail driven into my head.

You smiled to my face while sharpening the knife/

Acting like you cared while you fed on my life.

Now I'm done chasing acceptance I don't need/

Cause the strongest wolves were never raised with the sheep.

You turned your back!

You closed the gate!

You made your choice,

Now it's too late...

Call me a PARIAH!

Cast me from the light!

I don't need your blessing,

I don't need your lies!

Call me a PARIAH!

An outcast in your eyes!

I'd rather stand alone,

Than live another disguise!

Every scar's a reminder of the price I paid/

Every bridge that burned helped me find my way/

You can keep your approval/

Keep your empty praise/

I found more truth in the dark than I did in your ways.

You tried to bury my voice/

Tried to make me disappear/

But pressure built a weapon.

Every failure brought me here/

Now I'm stronger than the version you wanted me to be/

And that's the thing you hate the most when you look at me.

You drew the line...

You picked the side...

Now watch me RISE!!!

From what SURVIVED!!!

Call me a PARIAH!

Cast me from the light!

I don't need your blessing,

I don't need your lies!

Call me a PARIAH!

An outcast in your eyes!

I'd rather stand alone,

Than live another disguise!

METAL:

CAST ME OUT!

RAP:

I was never yours to control/

METAL:

CAST ME OUT!

RAP:

I was never made to kneel/

METAL:

CAST ME OUT!

RAP:

The chains are broken/

The fear is gone/

METAL:

CAST ME OUT!

BOTH:

I STAND ALONE!

Call me a PARIAH!

Cast me from the light!

I don't need your blessing,

I don't need your lies!

Call me a PARIAH!

An outcast in your eyes!

I'd rather stand alone,

Than live another disguise!

I'd rather stand alone...

(Instruments begin fading. Only a distorted guitar and low static remain.)

You called me a pariah...

You thought I'd disappear.

But every wall you built...

Only made me stronger.

(Pause.)

I don't need your acceptance.

I never did.

(Static cuts out.)