[Intro]
Rain clings to my collar, chill upon my skin
Windows leaking stories, pressed against the din
Cigarette ash drifting, time’s a bitter friend
Wandering in circles that never seem to end

[Verse 0]
Dress shoes scrape the concrete, rhythm without grace
Waiting for the daylight to recognize my face
The air is full of answers, none addressed to me
Passing through the morning quietly unseen

[Verse 1]
Shadow on the pavement, ordinary frame
Tracing empty outlines no one cares to name
Laughter drifting over, never meant for me
Trading hope for habits, a silent absentee

[Pre-Chorus]
Every little secret slips away
I count the cracks that cover yesterday

[Chorus]
I am only drifting, a paper in the wind
Hollow like the promise that never did begin
Restless for a purpose, missing from my hand
All these vacant feelings I pretend to understand

[Post-Chorus]
Oh-oh, hollow man
Oh-oh, hollow man

[Verse 2]
In my mind, a garden, overgrown and tired
Wilting with the questions, quietly conspired
Looking through the faces, mirrors left unclaimed
I vanish in the background, a figure with no name

[Pre-Chorus]
There’s silence where I’m meaning to say
Something bright to guide me, but I fade away

[Chorus]
I am only drifting, a paper in the wind
Hollow like the promise that never did begin
Restless for a purpose, missing from my hand
All these vacant feelings I pretend to understand

[Post-Chorus]
Oh-oh, hollow man
Oh-oh, hollow man

[Bridge]
Empty words unravel, threads left on the floor
I search for something tethered, but I’m always wanting more
Watching daylight vanish, shadows stretch and fall
Questions unanswered paint their silence on the wall

[Chorus]
I am only drifting, a paper in the wind
Hollow like the promise that never did begin
Restless for a purpose, missing from my hand
All these vacant feelings I pretend to understand

[Post-Chorus]
Oh-oh, hollow man
Oh-oh, hollow man

[Outro]
Fading in the silence, footprints never last
Time dissolves the reasons, anchored to the past
If tomorrow finds me, will it understand
The echo of a longing in a hollow man

[Fade-Out Verse]
Footsteps in the amber, drifting out of view
Still I chase the meaning, lost within the blue
Ghosts of all my choices, gather in the rain
Leave their hollow traces, where only doubt remains

[Soft Post-Chorus]
Oh-oh, hollow man
Oh-oh, hollow man
