PRETENDER

Welcome to my theater

Grab a ticket, come on in

don't forget about the snacks

The shows about to begin

The curtain will rise, high above

Revealing the center stage

Come one, come all, and listen close

To a tale from a man in the cage

The cage itself isn't a prop

It's not something you can see

But here I am, stuck inside

Without the help of a key

Every morn', when I wake up

I have to pick a new face

It's heavy, ugly, and doesn't quite fit

But always stays in its place

A frown, a grimace, even a tear

Those, I couldn't possibly use

A smile, a laugh, a hearty hello

Are some of the tools that I choose

If I faked it, until the day I died

And my mask never did break

How could you ever believe me

When I tell you my life's at stake

This is my story, isn't it foul

How most of my joy was a lie

Take a seat, I've much more to tell

I can't promise that it won't make me cry.