Keep the Faith
Could You Look Me In The Face, Now?
Gerard drew comfort from the darkness of the wooden basement. The old wood holding the cave up was beautiful and timeless, so natural and strong. It had lasted years, and would last many more. Gerard liked the darkness. In the dark, things were different. He couldn’t see anything. In the dark he was immune to what an ugly place the world was.
In the dark the world couldn’t see him. He was a silhouette at the most, an outline of himself. You couldn’t judge a silhouette; it had no colour, no texture, and it wasn’t real. In the dark it was easier to run, hide, and avoid the rest of the world.
This feeling never leaves you alone
You pull the trigger on your own
You're hiding in your safe place
Hiding with your eyes shut tightly
all the way to the hospital
Yes, the world was ugly. He knew that. But what he didn’t know yet was the other side of the story. He didn’t know that the world was beautiful at the same time. There were people out there who cared, places where the light didn’t have to burn, and where the only thing to be felt wasn’t pain. Maybe if he had known about the other side, he would have made this decision differently. That was a lesson that could only be learnt in time. He was still young; too young, too proud, to understand.
Now will you ever rest your head
You end up feeling mostly dead
Pretending you're the last one
Hiding with your eyes shut tightly
all the way to the hospital
He placed his hand on the table beside him, and reached around until his fingers closed around the cold metal. Silently, he picked up the heavy piece of steel, and stroked it with his other hand. The weapon hadn’t been that hard to acquire. If all went to plan, he was doing the world a favour.
Almost confirming that this was the way it should end.
Before I cross my heart and hope to die at all
Take off my mask and leave the lies to the liars
The red light lit up as he pressed the record button. The tape started to whirl, as he thought how to start of his final speech. His unwritten suicide note.
Words normally came easy to Gerard. This wasn’t one of these times.
It never used to hurt before it isn't funny anymore
Feeling so alone now,
Funny how you wish some way that you could die at the hospital
People, places, events – the years all came flooding back to him. The days spent wishing time away, then days begging it to stand still; the times he wished he was dead, and the times he felt truly alive. The hope that he once held onto, and then had slowly let die.
A few years ago he had a life, dreams and a future. Then it changed. Suddenly everything went spiralling backwards, and he was back where he started. Just like the innocence, the fame could never last. And it didn't.
Sometimes, he wondered if this was the right way for his story to end.
You're quiet on the car ride home,
You're waiting for your head to explode
You're hiding in your safe place
Hiding with your eyes shut tightly
all the way to the hospital
He closed his eyes as he began.
“Death is a beautiful thing. It’s a release, a closure. The end to one story, and the beginning of another.”
His story so far was nothing but failure. Often, he had come so close to making it, but then always failed. But for every failure, you learnt more than every success. Once he had believed that a person could only fail for so long before they finally made it. He proved that theory wrong.
Gerard tried to hide the fact he was a failure. Sometimes, he even failed at that. The longer he wore the mask, the harder it was not to let it slip.
He could not let it slip. Without it, people could see him without his blanket of pretense and security- the failing, lying, fucked up crackwhore that he was.
“I’m sorry, that you finally have to see me for who I am.”
Before I cross my heart and hope to die at all
Take off my mask and leave the lies to the liars
Before I close my eyes I'm gonna give it up
Take off my mask and leave the lies to the liars
He looked up at the ceiling, and flipped off the safety. Tucking the tape recorder in the desk draw, he retrieved the fine silver chain and dog tags. He often wondered when such items would come in handy, and now he knew. The bullet would tear of the flesh as it exploded his skull, showing what really was inside him all this time.
Will you look them in the face
Could you look me in the face
Three cheers, you fooled them all
Come on, Hip Hip Hooray
Three cheers, you fooled them all
Come on, Hip Hip Hooray
Hip Hip Hooray
With trembling fingers, he fastened the clasp behind his neck. Tipped back his head and closed his eyes.
Before I cross my heart and hope to die at all
Take off my mask and leave the lies to the liars
Before I close my eyes I'm gonna give it up
Take off my mask and leave the lies to the liars
Leave the lies to the liars
Leave the lies to the liars
The single shot rang out, echoing in the night.
--
What Gerard didn't know, was that there were still people out there. Kids, who would not be taken alive.
They were the ones who kept the faith. Even if the world wouldn't let them show it, it still burnt away inside them. A fire to burn the empires. Someday, the world would have to take notice.
These kids will never be taken alive. Gerard thought that they were long gone.
No.
We always will be here.
In the dark the world couldn’t see him. He was a silhouette at the most, an outline of himself. You couldn’t judge a silhouette; it had no colour, no texture, and it wasn’t real. In the dark it was easier to run, hide, and avoid the rest of the world.
This feeling never leaves you alone
You pull the trigger on your own
You're hiding in your safe place
Hiding with your eyes shut tightly
all the way to the hospital
Yes, the world was ugly. He knew that. But what he didn’t know yet was the other side of the story. He didn’t know that the world was beautiful at the same time. There were people out there who cared, places where the light didn’t have to burn, and where the only thing to be felt wasn’t pain. Maybe if he had known about the other side, he would have made this decision differently. That was a lesson that could only be learnt in time. He was still young; too young, too proud, to understand.
Now will you ever rest your head
You end up feeling mostly dead
Pretending you're the last one
Hiding with your eyes shut tightly
all the way to the hospital
He placed his hand on the table beside him, and reached around until his fingers closed around the cold metal. Silently, he picked up the heavy piece of steel, and stroked it with his other hand. The weapon hadn’t been that hard to acquire. If all went to plan, he was doing the world a favour.
Almost confirming that this was the way it should end.
Before I cross my heart and hope to die at all
Take off my mask and leave the lies to the liars
The red light lit up as he pressed the record button. The tape started to whirl, as he thought how to start of his final speech. His unwritten suicide note.
Words normally came easy to Gerard. This wasn’t one of these times.
It never used to hurt before it isn't funny anymore
Feeling so alone now,
Funny how you wish some way that you could die at the hospital
People, places, events – the years all came flooding back to him. The days spent wishing time away, then days begging it to stand still; the times he wished he was dead, and the times he felt truly alive. The hope that he once held onto, and then had slowly let die.
A few years ago he had a life, dreams and a future. Then it changed. Suddenly everything went spiralling backwards, and he was back where he started. Just like the innocence, the fame could never last. And it didn't.
Sometimes, he wondered if this was the right way for his story to end.
You're quiet on the car ride home,
You're waiting for your head to explode
You're hiding in your safe place
Hiding with your eyes shut tightly
all the way to the hospital
He closed his eyes as he began.
“Death is a beautiful thing. It’s a release, a closure. The end to one story, and the beginning of another.”
His story so far was nothing but failure. Often, he had come so close to making it, but then always failed. But for every failure, you learnt more than every success. Once he had believed that a person could only fail for so long before they finally made it. He proved that theory wrong.
Gerard tried to hide the fact he was a failure. Sometimes, he even failed at that. The longer he wore the mask, the harder it was not to let it slip.
He could not let it slip. Without it, people could see him without his blanket of pretense and security- the failing, lying, fucked up crackwhore that he was.
“I’m sorry, that you finally have to see me for who I am.”
Before I cross my heart and hope to die at all
Take off my mask and leave the lies to the liars
Before I close my eyes I'm gonna give it up
Take off my mask and leave the lies to the liars
He looked up at the ceiling, and flipped off the safety. Tucking the tape recorder in the desk draw, he retrieved the fine silver chain and dog tags. He often wondered when such items would come in handy, and now he knew. The bullet would tear of the flesh as it exploded his skull, showing what really was inside him all this time.
Will you look them in the face
Could you look me in the face
Three cheers, you fooled them all
Come on, Hip Hip Hooray
Three cheers, you fooled them all
Come on, Hip Hip Hooray
Hip Hip Hooray
With trembling fingers, he fastened the clasp behind his neck. Tipped back his head and closed his eyes.
Before I cross my heart and hope to die at all
Take off my mask and leave the lies to the liars
Before I close my eyes I'm gonna give it up
Take off my mask and leave the lies to the liars
Leave the lies to the liars
Leave the lies to the liars
The single shot rang out, echoing in the night.
--
What Gerard didn't know, was that there were still people out there. Kids, who would not be taken alive.
They were the ones who kept the faith. Even if the world wouldn't let them show it, it still burnt away inside them. A fire to burn the empires. Someday, the world would have to take notice.
These kids will never be taken alive. Gerard thought that they were long gone.
No.
We always will be here.
♠ ♠ ♠
The lyrics are "Hospital" by The Used.