City man lives under a clock
Eyes on the hands in his race for the top
But he's barely afloat in the wreck of his disaster
He makes out he's way more important than you
Yet the clothes that he wears are all threadbare and used
But he still likes to think he can reach higher than you
There's no make up that conceals
All the true lines that reveal who you are
There's no faking from anyone
So I wonder how the face you wear
Can hide who you are
You project a face of happiness
'Cause your real mask is barred
And the only place to go
Where you can let down your guard
Is your sunken retreat
'Round the back of a street
Where we act out our lives
Fed up with living the lie
He's kicking at stones down by the subway
As the artist is drawn to his eyes
"Would you like me to paint you today?"
He contemplates and takes his place
So he sits in the chair and starts to twitch
Like a needle having fits on the lie-detector grid
"Please won't you paint what you see within
'Cause I'm uncomfortable wearing this fake skin"
There's a man who's afraid to show up
And I'm afraid of what he looks like now
But I want to show you who I am
So I wonder how the face you wear
Can hide who you are
You project a face of happiness
'Cause your real mask is barred
And the only place to go
Where you can let down your guard
Is your sunken retreat
'Round the back of a street
Where we act out our lives