I’m just a man behind a mask

Hiding from the true me

Hiding because I’m afraid of what I’ll see.

 

We all hide something, somewhere, somehow

Seeking to be what we think admire most,

And pretending until we’ve convinced all those around us.

 

But we’re not trying to convince them

It’s not the people around us

It’s the man behind the mask…

 

He’s cruel, he’s harsh

He’s more judgemental than anyone around us would ever be

He’s the reason I hide the true me.

 

I want to be happy, joyful and full of glee

I want to expose the loving side of me

I want to be vulnerable, cared for, and admired

But the man inside says “just tell them you’re tired.”

 

He tells me to be hard, severe, and cold-shouldered

He tells me that no one will ever feel the same

He tells me that I’ll just get hurt

Is it really worth the pain?

 

I want to break free, get out, run wild

I don’t want to tone down,

I don’t want to be mild.

 

The worst part about hiding the true me

Is the man behind the mask

He’s exactly who I’d be…

 

The man behind the mask,

He’s really me,

That’s why I can’t break away,

I can’t be free.

 

If I stopped listening to him,

and became who I was,

I’d become him,

Who I never wanted to be.

 

That’s the worst part about hiding the real me,

I’m the man behind the mask,

I’m keeping the real me

behind bars, locked up, inside a casket.

 

But if I let myself free,

I’d only be a worse me.