I should take what's left of this for myself
I've had the pieces stripped
By long hands feeding small minds

And I never thought that this could come back
I failed to do it right
And took long strides into the firing line
And the less I feel alive the less I feel alive

Who lifts the sin from the man?

From the corner of the ring we gave up
The optimist had died, leaving the black side to tow the line

They're all the same, assimilated
And here am I born of a lost cause
The underdog, an alien in drag, dying

So who's to say there's any shame in
Being alone when the dogs are outside
In packs of ten, their muzzles removed, biting

I tried to save my inner sanctum
While all around were still playing with fire
The fact remains
I've never been moved to sell myself

I don't want to be another face in a window
Seeing life through a screen, bathed in a warm glow

Fade like so...

All the faces on the photographs have changed
To not confuse it all, the names remain the same
Should I wait or let the past just fall?
The whispers are veiled

Should you try to realign some day
You may find that there was nothing anyway
Is it me or did we all get bored insane?
Playing the game

I'm peering through the holes
Been digging through the dirt
Trying to save the small yesterdays

We've worked it out, figured out what it's all about
Don't retreat but don't be seen
Let nothing come between
No more lazy days, what rate do they pay?
Here's a knife, carve a life
As we plot your downfall in the nearest aisle

They're nailing up the coffin but you're smiling as you go
Coining in to nothing, it's all part of the freak show
Walk in my shadow
Ritual exclusion is just a part of everything
And tolerance depends upon the song you sing
Who's poison arrow?

And if you dance, you command no more respect
Now we'll have to find some other way to keep the children safe
Eve's been at the drawing board to segregate the human race
Falling from an altercation, you're put in a situation

Denied access to the one thing bound to stop you going under
Now you'll have to face tomorrow with no hope to beg or borrow
Once you count it up you know you're gonna find there's not enough
Your only hope's to cook the books
Pray the man don't choose to look you up

While I lie here burning, you're encased in ice
With tainted eyes upon your tainted soul
It's no wonder I'm so cold

A terrible thing I'm learning as tears are turned to ice
These four walls will be my dreaded foes
As I rot here in this hole

Do you conspire to hold me down?
Do you conspire to hold?
Do you conspire to hold me down?
Have I wasted a dream?

Restless seas will murder me tonight
As you appease effortlessly the open mouths of hungry thieves
There'll be no silent empathy inside
No colour or shades of hope

Put the thorn in my side, the coins on my eyes
I'm not awake, I'm leaving Eden
And all her frozen charms lie cold in my arms
Panic went away and left me reeling

It's warm outside but the weather fails to hide
the stinging loss inside
For in the back of my mind I always thought I'd find my way to
Paradise, on I'd walk to paradise...

But grace and lies locked the door from the other side
And now there's not much else there
Grace and lies,
In all how long can you hide, how long?

The cost of innocence is the loss of innocence
Some may pass away, but some die screaming
And when it came to my time, oh it took me by surprise
Was it my mistake, or am I born for giving in?

And there it is, as pure as snow
I couldn't see it for my head was too low
And prying eyes, they stoop too low
Poisoning my soul, as sanity waits in the gallows

Defeated I, fighting for a lost cause
Depleted I, dying for the wrong cause

These are the hours on the range
The more you show them
The more they choose to take away
Some things never change in the wings
And as it's your war,
There'll be no escape at all