Ecstasy And Death

Behind the heavy velvet,

where the neon bleeds inside We wash away our history,

we find a place to hide I pull the zipper up,

a second skin of black lace Applying lipstick like armor just to

cover up my face This bedroom’s like a theater,

the sheets are artificial silk The perfume hides the smell of cheap

gin and sour milk The buzzer rings downstairs,

another shadow at the gate You learn to read the footsteps,

to calculate the weight Is it a man who wants a savior?

Or a man who wants to break?

The line between a paycheck and a violent,

cold mistake.

And the chandelier is cracked,

casting shadows on the floor Lust is just a currency traded at

the door But underneath the crimson lights,

the silence screams so loud We’re looking for the missing girls lost

inside the crowd Yeah,

we smile for the Johns,

but our hearts are out of breath

Dancing on the razor-edge of ecstasy and death.

Last week, Maya’s room went dark,

her high heels on the rug No note left on the nightstand,

just an empty coffee mug The house mother just swept the floor

and rented out her space Like twenty years of breathing could be

vanished without trace They don't come looking for us when we drift

into the night We’re just ghosts in satin corsets,

hiding from the morning light And then there’s Julian—he comes on Tuesday

nights at three He doesn't want the theater,

he just holds his head and weeps A momentary romance in a

world that’s bought and sold A desperate taste of warmth before the

sheets turn freezing cold.

He touches my cheek like I’m something to be saved But we

both know the rules of the kingdom we engraved

A thousand different faces,

but the eyes are all the same A hunger that can consume

you, a fire without a name You hold your breath and count

to ten, look up at the ceiling cracks

Praying that the man tonight won't leave you in the tracks.

Where the chandelier is cracked,

casting shadows on the floor Lust is just a currency traded at

the door But underneath the crimson lights,

the silence screams so loud We’re looking for the missing girls lost

inside the crowd Yeah,

we smile for the Johns,

but our hearts are out of breath

Dancing on the razor-edge of ecstasy and death.

Four a.m. now... Unclasping the silver chains.

Wiping off the paint.

Another night survived in the house of smoke and mirrors.

We keep the lights down low...

So nobody sees who’s really missing.