SMILE

(Verse 1)

Check the lock. Check it twice.

Now imagine my face is your favorite piece of advice.

I’m sitting in the corner of your bedroom, just a silhouette,

Watching you sleep—it’s the safest bet that you haven't noticed yet.

I’ve got a collection of things that don’t belong to me,

A scrapbook of moments you thought were private, essentially.

I don’t want your money, that’s a boring kind of greed,

I want the look in your eyes when you realize I’m everything you need.

(Voice gets slightly more intense, faster)

See, I’m the glitch in your system, the crack in the drywall,

The reason you’re shaking while you’re staring at the nightfall.

I’m not screaming, I’m not foaming, I’m calm as a Sunday morning,

But the silence in the hallway is a very loud warning.

 

(Chorus)

Now give me that smile, the one that looks like a plea,

The kind of expression that only a mirror can see.

Stretch it wide, pull the corners, let the panic settle in,

I love the way your composure starts to wear thin.

Just smile... (echo)

Yeah, just smile... (echo)

It looks so much better when you’re terrified to breathe.

 

(Verse 2)

Now, let’s play a game of "Who’s Still Here?"

I’ve been the ghost in your ear for a calendar year.

I’ve read your journals, I’ve memorized the way you pray,

I know exactly which words make you turn the other way.

You call it "unhinged," I call it "meticulous planning,"

While you’re in the living room, just standing there spanning—

The gap between the truth and the lie that you told,

About how you’re doing fine while your inner world folds.

(Slow down, menacingly)

I’m not a monster, I’m just a student of your fear,

And the final exam is finally here.

I’ll carve a little grin into the air with a whisper,

And watch your nervous system twitch like a winter blister.

I’m the shadow in the shower, the cold spot on the bed,

The thought you can't kill that's living inside of your head.

 

(Bridge)

They told me that empathy was a virtue.

They told me that love shouldn't actually hurt you.

But I found a way to merge the two together...

A beautiful bond, light as a feather.

(Slowly building back up)

If I take away the lights, and I take away the door,

You’ll realize you don’t need the outside anymore.

 

(Verse 3)

(Fast)

Surgical precision with a psychological twist,

A mental gymnastics that you couldn't resist.

I’m the architect of agony, the curator of dread,

I’ve got a blueprint of your nightmares mapped out in my head.

No blood on the floor, just a stain on the soul,

I’m taking the pieces and making them whole.

You’re staring at the ceiling, wondering where it all went wrong,

While I’m humming in the attic, singing this little song.

(Stop abruptly)

Wait. Did you hear that?

That was the sound of your last exit closing.

Now, be a good sport.

Stop posing.

 

(Outro)

(Whispered)

There it is.

That’s the one.

That perfect, shaking, desperate little grin.

Keep it there.

Don't let it slip.

...I'm still in the room.