Joke's On Us
Lyrics
[Intro - distant synth pads, tape hiss, lonely electric guitar harmonics, whispered rap cadence]
We built our towers on a fault line
Laughing at the cracks in the design
Told the night, “We’re safe from the fire”
Then we lit the match to feel alive
[Verse 1 - moody synthwave pulse, clean electric guitar, dark rap flow, tight 808 bass]
You wear a smile like a safety pin
But it holds together what’s breaking in
Say “I’m fine” with a voice that shakes
Then wonder why the whole thing aches
We chase the sun with closed-up eyes
And call it truth when it’s all disguise
Every promise dressed up like a lie
Every “never” learning how to die
[Pre-Chorus - rising synth arpeggios, louder rim shots, snare build, cymbal swells]
And it’s funny how the blade turns back
When you swing it hard at the ones you lack
Funny how the map we drew in pain
Only leads us straight into the rain
[Chorus - explosive synthwave anthem, electric guitars roaring, punchy bass, shouted hooks, layered harmonies]
It’s irony, it’s the way we fall
We build the walls just to watch them crawl
We save our hearts in a locked-up box
Then lose the key in the ticking clocks
Oh, we run from the truth, then we meet it head-on
Sing the wrong song till the light is gone
Yeah, what we reach for slips away
That’s the joke the world keeps making every day
[Verse 2 - darker rap verses, heavier bass, distorted guitar accents, sharper snare hits]
You fix the leak with a hole in the roof
Trade in the hurt for a polished excuse
Say “I need space” then drown in the crowd
Speak in a whisper just to be loud
We plant a seed in poisoned dirt
Then act surprised when it starts to hurt
We chase the ghost, we feed the flame
Then blame the smoke when it knows our name
Every step forward, two steps blind
Every answer leaves another behind
[Pre-Chorus - tension rising, china crashes, layered vocals, synth lift]
And it’s funny how the cure can burn
Funny how the wheel keeps making turns
Funny how the thing we most defend
Is the thing that breaks us in the end
[Chorus - full band, anthemic synths, electric guitars, pounding kick, gang vocals]
It’s irony, it’s the way we fall
We build the walls just to watch them crawl
We save our hearts in a locked-up box
Then lose the key in the ticking clocks
Oh, we run from the truth, then we meet it head-on
Sing the wrong song till the light is gone
Yeah, what we reach for slips away
That’s the joke the world keeps making every day
[Breakdown - double kick metal section, distorted bass, aggressive guitars, rim shots, screamed/rap hybrid]
We made this mess with careful hands
Then cursed the ruins we don’t understand
Double down, now the floor gives way
Call it fate when it’s our mistake
Irony!
We want the rain, then fear the flood
We want the fire, then choke on the blood
Irony!
We chase the crown, then fear the weight
We lock the door, then blame the gate
[Bridge - stripped back, somber synth drone, soft acoustic guitar, vulnerable vocals]
And maybe the joke was never cruel
Just the cost of being human and true
We reach, we break, we learn too late
That every choice rewrites the fate
So I’ll stop fighting what I’ve found
Let the silence pull me down
If the opposite is all I knew
Maybe the answer was inside the wound
[Final Chorus - biggest lift, synthwave and guitars surging, powerful harmonies, soaring lead vocal]
It’s irony, it’s the way we fall
We build the walls just to watch them crawl
We save our hearts in a locked-up box
Then lose the key in the ticking clocks
Oh, we run from the truth, then we meet it head-on
Sing the wrong song till the light is gone
Yeah, what we reach for slips away
That’s the joke the world keeps making every day
[Outro - resolved acoustic guitar, warm synth fading, intimate vocal, soft reverb]
So laugh if you want, I’ve heard it before
The door we fear is the one we’re looking for
And all we become, in the end, I see
Is the opposite of what we thought we’d be