[Intro – dirty guitar pulse, voice close and dry] Smile. Nod. Say you’re good. Keep moving. Funny thing about pretending long enough… people stop asking. Including you. [Verse 1] I learned the lines before I knew the role Walk in steady when I’m losing control Laugh at the right time, keep my shoulders square Make it look easy like I’m supposed to be there Bills on the bench, noise in my head Kids need breakfast, demons want bed Someone asks how I’m doing — automatic reply “Yeah mate, all good.” Beautiful fucking lie. Not because I wanted anybody fooled I just didn’t have another fucking tool When falling apart wasn’t something I could afford I became whatever kept me moving forward [Pre-Chorus] Stand where they need you Say what gets through Do it long enough… the character becomes you [Chorus] I’m method acting my way through life Smile on cue while I’m dying inside Play the strong one, hit every mark Keep everybody calm while I swallow the dark I can fake being fine with the best of them Make broken look functional again But somewhere underneath what everybody sees I’m wondering— **which fucking part is actually me?** [Verse 2] I played the father before I felt grown Played independent when I needed someone Played unaffected when the words cut deep Played wide awake on fuck-all sleep Played understanding when I wanted to scream Played realistic while protecting the dream Played like rejection didn’t change my chest Played like carrying everything proved I was best And yeah— sometimes pretending got me through Sometimes the performance became something true You practice calm enough, eventually it sticks You practice staying long enough, maybe something shifts But there’s a line between becoming and hiding And fuck knows how many years I spent on either side of it [Pre-Chorus] No director No second take Just another morning and another face [Chorus] I’m method acting my way through life Smile on cue while I’m dying inside Play the strong one, hit every mark Keep everybody calm while I swallow the dark I can fake being fine with the best of them Turn panic into “no worries” again But somewhere underneath what everybody sees I’m wondering— **which fucking part is actually me?** [Bridge – band drops, spoken] Here’s the fucked-up part. Some of it worked. I pretended I was brave until I did brave things. Pretended I knew how to father until my kids started calling me Dad like I belonged there. Pretended I could survive another night… and then morning came. So I’m not gonna stand here and tell you pretending was useless. Sometimes the mask kept me alive. [pause] But a life jacket isn’t supposed to become your skin. [Build] At some point you have to stop surviving the role and meet the bastard underneath it. [Verse 3 – heavier] So now when I say I’m good, I check first When I say it doesn’t hurt, I ask where it hurts When I feel that grin automatically arrive I don’t rip it off — I just look behind Some parts were armour some parts became bone Some things I borrowed now genuinely feel like home I’m not burning every version that carried me through I’m just done letting performance decide what is true [Final Chorus – huge] I WAS method acting my way through life Playing somebody too strong to die Hit every cue, carried every part Till the stage lights showed me the man in the dark Yeah, I can fake being fine with the best of them But I don’t fucking need to impress them again The strongest thing underneath what everybody sees Is finally knowing— **I don’t have to perform being me** No applause No perfect line No fucking character saying I’m fine Keep what became real Put down what was defence I survived as the actor Now I live as the man [Outro – original guitar pulse returns] Smile if you mean it. Cry if you need it. Say “I don’t know.” Miss the cue. Fuck the script. … That’s better. There you are.
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