Scripted Silence

Verse 1

The ink

Wet on the parchment

Stains my thumb like a bruised ego

I am a king of cardboard

Ruler of the dust

Underneath the bed

A court of cobwebs

Gathering the crumbs

Left behind by

Better men

Verse 2

Staring

Hard at the ceiling

Cracks like lightning in a plaster sky

I see a face

I see a ghost

I see the person

I used to be

Before the curtain fell

Before the cheers

Turned to coughs

In the back row

Chorus

Give me back my makeup

Give me back my mask

Let me play the part

Let me do the task

I am just a jester

With a broken bell

Living in a heaven

That feels like hell

Guitar Solo

Verse 3

Rain

Against the glass

Tapping out a code I can't decode

Letters in a box

Bound with string

Yellowed at the edges

Like old teeth

I bite my tongue

I hold my breath

I wait for the phone

To ring its neck

Verse 4

Silence

Thicker than water

Drowns the logic in my heavy head

Maybe it was me

Maybe it was time

Maybe it was just

The way the wind blew

Through the empty rooms

Of this rented life

Chorus

Give me back my makeup

Give me back my mask

Let me play the part

Let me do the task

I am just a jester

With a broken bell

Living in a heaven

That feels like hell

Bridge

The script is torn

The ink is dry

The stage is bare

The lights are high

The audience

Has gone home

To their warm beds

To their soft lives

Leaving me

With the shadows

And the props

And the silence

The silence

The silence

Guitar Solo

Chorus

Give me back my makeup

Give me back my mask

Let me play the part

Let me do the task

I am just a jester

With a broken bell

Living in a heaven

That feels like hell

Post-Chorus

Just a jester

Just a fool

Broken bells

And empty schools

Looking for a way

Out of the play

Outro

The ink is dry

The pen is heavy

I am finished

I am done

Goodnight

Sweet prince

The play is over

Close the door