Verse:

Rain or shine, I just don’t care,
A true moment's peace seems rare,
The great walls of melancholy,
Are closing in fast upon me.

The embers of the fire of passion,
Fade away in tragic fashion,
The great walls of melancholy,
Are choking my reality.

Chorus:

Everywhere I look, they are there,
Poisoning my very air,
I cannot help but always see,
The great walls of melancholy.

Verse:

Come and walk a mile in my shoes,
‘Tis not a lifestyle I choose,
The great walls of melancholy,
Stop my spirit from roaming free.

I am not at fault for my pain,
I've tried in vain to break the chain,
This comfort zone's actually,
The great walls of melancholy.

Bridge:

I do not know their origins,
Nor why they plague my heart and mind,
Am I paying for some old sins?
The memories of which I'm blind?

Melancholia taints my view,
Of what is, was and what will come,
From vibrant shades to a grey hue,
Passion's palace to sorrow's slum.

The great walls of melancholy

Verse:

An Oscar-worthy performance,
Honed through years of intense practice,
Filled with such merry song and dance,
Seemingly blessed by fortune's kiss.

But no Hollywood idol’s this,
Basking in critical acclaim,
He'd gladly give all this a miss,
For freedom from despair and shame.

Chorus:

He's more than a token sad clown,
An actor of the highest caste,
But for him, there's no great renown,
Unknown star of a special cast.

Verse:

Playing the role of the young man,
At peace with himself and the world,
He performs as best as he can,
Yet not the slightest praise is hurled.

The wisecracking, vibrant fellow,
Is just a public persona,
Behind the mask, calm and mellow,
His true state couldn't be further.

Bridge:

Shunned as a social pariah,
He fears such a reality,
So he's forced to be a liar,
By stigma-gripped society.

Very few know the tortured soul,
Disguised by the mirthful facade,
Much less the full, heartbreaking toll,
Of the demons with whom he's sparred.

Outro:

Here's to a great, unsung actor,
Seemingly invulnerable,
But this is just a character,
Cloaking the wounded animal.

Sad clown, wounded animal

Verse

The curse of the perfectionist,
Whose best never feels good enough,
By peace of mind, he's never kissed,
Frightened of calling failure's bluff.

A reluctant perfectionist,
Striving for impossible goals,
No medicine from a chemist,
Can cure this most tortured of souls.

Chorus

Criticism comes easily,
Praise and acceptance, not so much,
Crippled by a veiled malady,
Perfectionism's icy touch.

Verse

The fear of judgement and failure,
Disturbs his sleep and haunts his days,
A true, dyed-in-the-wool hater,
Of mediocrity’s dull ways.

He'll often forgive another,
For varied faults and mistakes,
Yet he will make himself suffer,
For missed success in single takes.

Bridge

A word of comfort for a friend,
A vicious scolding for himself,
His will for perfection won't bend,
To the detriment of his health.

He won’t accept mere excellence,
His self-worth's built on shaky ground,
Depressed, he suffers in silence,
Perfectionism's got him bound.

Outro

Ignoring grim experience,
Of this mental masochism,
Deluded by the importance,
Of tragic perfectionism.

Tragic perfectionism

Verse

Caught up in triviality,
A warped view of reality,
Questioning your identity,
Fretting over your legacy.

Disgruntled with society,
For limiting your liberty,
Beyond what the eye can see,
Your spirit longs to roam free.

Chorus

The ship of hope hasn't yet sailed,
Won't you stand up and heed its call?
It's better to have tried and failed,
Than to have never tried at all.

Verse

What is your main priority?
Excitement or security?
Or is it a mixture of both?
To which path do you make your oath?

Do you realise that one day,
You will no longer have a say,
Everyone one of us must part ways,
So find that meaning in the maze.

Bridge

You wait for something to happen,
To give your life a grand reason,
Not knowing which road you must take,
And which courses you must forsake.

Braving the fog of drudgery
And the clouds of futility,
Through the bog of anxiety,
You'll find the sun on your journey.

Outro

Hope will be your sanctuary,
A shelter from woe and worry,
To help solve the great mystery,
Of your own unfinished story.

Unfinished Story

Verse

A naive captive of the norm,
Obeying without questioning,
Ignorant of the coming storm,
Yielding when he should be fighting.

Just doing what was expected,
He won't stop to think for himself,
A priceless gem, he's neglected,
That of his spiritual health.

Chorus

I don't refer to religion,
Nor any New Age pretension,
But to make your own decision,
On what will be your life's mission.

Verse

Too long a lamb, not a lion,
Fearing the judgement of others,
A plague he allowed to heighten,
As a result, his soul suffers.

Troubled by what others think,
Of the life he chooses to lead,
He let his vessel of pride sink,
And the skin of his morale bleed.

Bridge

Now he's picking up the pieces,
Of his shattered peace of mind,
From the strain, his spirit wheezes,
Self-acceptance, it cannot find.

He's far from out of the mire,
But he's learned a vital lesson,
That blind steps will dampen the fire,
Of his spirit's joy and passion.

Captive of the Norm

Verse

Slave to corporate drudgery,
Bowing at the feet of profit,
Stalked by the cloud of poverty,
Forced along the rat race circuit.

Is this the peak of delusion? 
Believing we're free when we're not,
Liberty is an illusion,
When crumbs for toil are all we've got.

Chorus

Pass your exams with the best grade,
Find a steady job to survive,
Lay on that mundane bed you've made,
Existing ain't being alive.

Verse

Keep your head down and work hard,
You may just find security,
Leaving his shifty calling card,
Cagey with his identity.

You lose sight of him once more,
So you work harder for your crumbs,
A schoolyard fight becomes a war,
Busting a gut for shrinking sums.

Bridge

A law-abiding citizen,
A pillar of society,
Yet an invisible prison,
Restricts your true reality.

The freedom to make a living,
Is no freedom whatsoever,
When your blood, sweat and tears just bring,
Mere scraps of your rightful treasure.

Pass your exams

Verse

Striding down Memory Lane,
Through sublime sun and raging rain,
There's peace and closure to gain,
And a dose of survivor's pride.

Like blending honey and lemon,
Hell gets intertwined with Heaven,
Bittersweet with woe and fun,
None can take my survivor's pride.

Chorus

From the future, I shall not quail,
My will to fight will never fail,
From the past, I won't run or hide,
For I'm blessed with survivor's pride.

Verse

My ship of strength shall boldly sail,
Through grief's gales and hardships’ hail,
I’ve many a survivor's tale,
To share of life's turbulent ride.

Through the jungle of suffering,
Hear the roar of a lion king!
Not of some wild beast do I sing,
But of my own survivor's pride.

Bridge

Memory Lane’s quite the journey,
For its gate, only I've the key,
Flowers of joy and weeds of pain,
Line my path in a vivid chain.

The cobbles of experience,
Are traversed in thoughtful silence,
In success, I'll warmly rejoice,
In failure, I'll heed wisdom's voice.

Survivor's pride

Save your breath (fingerstyle)

Save your breath (good ol' strumming)

I'm an amateur acoustic guitarist and lyricist, expressing my deepest, most poignant thoughts and feelings through my music. All I need is a singer to fully bring my ideas to life! You can find my lyrics in the description for each song. If any vocalists out there think that they can do them justice, I'd love to hear from you. 

Brynley Ayres

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