Kingdoms of Mud

(Verse 1) In the thunder of the morning, under mountains made of glass, I'm a phantom in the shadows, never daring to trespass. Walking corridors of whispers, in the labyrinth I roam, Every face a mirror's secret, in a castle made of chrome. (Pre-Chorus) Hear the tempest's silent laughter, it’s mocking from the throne, With armor forged from paper, in a war that’s all my own. (Chorus) Dancing with the ghost-light, fading in the flood, Wearing crowns of smoke rings in the kingdom of the mud. Am I just a shadow puppet, in this masquerade of rust? Grinding gears and iron hearts, turning dreams to dust. (Verse 2) Through the alleys of this opera, where the curtains never rise, I’m the understudy waiting, wearing someone else’s guise. Each applause is like a thunderclap, strikes but never hits, I’m an echo in the valley, a song that never fits. (Pre-Chorus) Beneath the mask of midnight, the stars dare not expose, The outline of a stranger, in the emperor's new clothes. (Chorus) Dancing with the ghost-light, fading in the flood, Wearing crowns of smoke rings in the kingdom of the mud. Am I just a shadow puppet, in this masquerade of rust? Grinding gears and iron hearts, turning dreams to dust. (Bridge) Sailing seas of quicksilver, with a compass spinning wild, The horizon ever mocking, the journey of the child. I climb the cliffs of solace, seek the fortress in the fray, Where every whispered doubt, at last, can be slain and kept at bay. (Chorus) Dancing with the ghost-light, fading in the flood, Wearing crowns of smoke rings in the kingdom of the mud. Am I just a shadow puppet, in this masquerade of rust? Grinding gears and iron hearts, turning dreams to dust. (Outro) So I'll light the beacon fires, let the flames rise above, Forge a legend from the whispers, and wear my mask with love. In the theater of the haunted, I finally take the stage, The imposter now the hero, as the lights embrace the rage.