• What hurts like
    Living a lie?
    Hiding behind a mask
    Of what they want you to be
    Expect you to be

    What hurts more is
    Bearing this masquerade
    And letting your frown slip up
    From being the painted smile
    And then asking
    “What’s wrong?”
    Not noticing a mask
    Not noticing the huge
    lie on your back
    That you have to
    carry around
    everywhere
    What hurts like that?

    Oh something hurts more
    The tip of the iceberg
    Far worse is
    When you just are sick
    Of the mask you wear
    So you just take it off…
    And they gasp at the face beneath
    Shun it
    They can’t treat you the same
    Knowing the real you
    And what’s the use of wearing a mask
    When everyone already knows
    The real you?
    They don’t easily forget
    And can tell others
    Who was wearing your mask
    Could anything –
    No nothing –
    Can hurt more than that

    But it can
    Those are bliss
    What hurts is
    The lie tearing you apart
    Until when you try and take off the mask –
    The sandpaper mask tearing off
    The bloody skin off your frostbit heart –
    They push it back
    Grind it against your
    Aching
    Bleeding
    Skin
    Prevent you from relief
    Saying they refuse to see your face
    So you dance
    Dance with tears streaming down your face
    Tears mixing with the blood
    And blood streaming down your face
    That no one will ever see
    Behind that mask



    But of course
    you're not the only one wearing a mask
    this is a dance
    The Great Masquerade Ball
    With your mask on
    I suppose you can’t see
    They’re all wearing one too
    All you blind fools
    You can get along you know
    You can ask someone
    To take off their mask
    But take yours off too
    And see each other
    Face to face
    For the first time