Arco and Ivory

Lyrics

[Instrumental]
Before the curtain falls, before the bulbs kick in
Before the hands start slapping cuffs again
The air gets hard, like something lunging back
You can feel it in your chest, the dead walking in
No crowd, no flag, just ash on my tongue
I watched your saints with their coffee and clean hands
Your little miracles come factory-wrapped
Mine come with grease under the nails, no scans
[Chorus]
Put on your mask, make it look like mercy
Hands on the wheel, but you hate when we look
You pull the strings from a room with no windows
Say it again, say it clean, say it shook
Same old mask, same old pose
Same old mask, same old pose
You don’t want truth, you want a clean little echo
A mouth that agrees and a face that won’t move
I see the control and the glue on your fingers
Same old mask, same old pose — we’re not fooled
[Bridge]
One hand up, one hand down
Same old trick in a small-town crowd
Keep it low, keep it fixed, keep it tight
But the dog at the door still bites
You feed on the nod, you feed on the lust
You call it order, I call it the flush
We know your name by the shape of the chain
We know your name, we know your name
No crowd, no flag, just a mouth full of dust
I watched the saints on their coffee-break knees
Your miracles come in a plastic sleeve
Mine wear dirt like a second sin, so easy
[Chorus]
Put on your mask, make it look like mercy
Hands on the wheel, but you hate when we look
You pull the strings from a room with no windows
Say it again, say it clean, say it shook
Same old mask, same old pose
Same old mask, same old pose
You don’t want truth, you want a clean little echo
A mouth that agrees and a face that won’t move
I see the control and the glue on your fingers
Same old mask, same old pose — we’re not fooled
We know your name by the shape of the chain
We know your name, we know your name!