[Intro]

[Verse]
Shadows lengthen on the polished floor
Each forced smile a knock upon the door
Of a sanctuary I can't find
Leaving truth far, far behind
They speak in echoes, smooth and mild
A poisoned comfort, strangely wild

[Pre-Chorus]
Can you hear the discord in the air?
A fragile peace that none can bear
Beneath the veneer, a silent scream
Lost within this waking dream

[Chorus]
Oh, polite faces, hollow words they spin
A gilded cage, where do I begin?
To peel away the layers of pretense
This suffocating, false defense
Is anyone real? Or are we all a play?
Lost in the dark, I fade away.

[Verse]
The laughter rings, a hollow chime
Consuming hours, stealing time
Each platitude a subtle sting
What hidden motives do they bring?
The air is thick with unspoken dread
While pleasantries are softly spread

[Pre-Chorus]
Is this a pact, a silent vow?
To never question, here and now?
This masquerade, it chills the soul
Beyond my fractured control

[Chorus]
Oh, polite faces, hollow words they spin
A gilded cage, where do I begin?
To peel away the layers of pretense
This suffocating, false defense
Is anyone real? Or are we all a play?
Lost in the dark, I fade away.

[Bridge]
The orchestra swells, a mournful cry
As honest feelings start to die
A choir of whispers, soft and low
Where does the true emotion go?
Trapped in this gilded, lonely space
Searching for a genuine embrace

[Instrumental]

[Verse]
I watch them nod, I hear them agree
But in their eyes, I cannot see
A flicker of the soul I knew
Just vacant stares, a shallow hue
This charade, it breaks my heart
While tearing my own world apart

[Chorus]
Oh, polite faces, hollow words they spin
A gilded cage, where do I begin?
To peel away the layers of pretense
This suffocating, false defense
Is anyone real? Or are we all a play?
Lost in the dark, I fade away.

[Outro]