[Verse] [Morrissey-esque Melancholy]
A Litany of Polite Untruths

[Pre-Chorus] [Slightly Bitter Tone]
Your mouth forms the question, a hollow, social tic
You demand a sunny answer, and you demand it, right and quick

[Chorus] [Defiant Baritone]
But the truth is in the gutter, with the rain and yesterday's news
So I simply say "I'm fine," and pay my social dues.

[Verse] [Wistful Observation]
You ask about the weather, a safe and bland exchange
Ignoring the true tempest, that rages out of range
The wilting of ambition, the ache of endless days
All buried in the pleasantries, that shield you from the maze.

[Pre-Chorus] [Growing Frustration]
Your eyes, they glaze with boredom, as I begin to speak
Of the existential dread that makes my spirit weak
But you crave the shallow surface, a placid, shallow sea
Anything deeper, darling, would be too much for thee.

[Chorus] [Full-Bodied Despair]
And the truth is in the gutter, with the rain and yesterday's news
So I simply say "I'm fine," and pay my social dues.

[Bridge] [Slightly Angry, almost Spoken Word]
"How are you?" A question so easily tossed away
A verbal placeholder, for what you truly fear to say.
Do you care? Do you listen? Or is it just a rote refrain?
Another brick in the wall, built to numb the inner pain.

[Chorus] [Resigned, yet Powerful]
Because the truth is in the gutter, with the rain and yesterday's news
So I simply say "I'm fine," and pay my social dues.

[Outro] [Fading, Echoing]
"I'm fine."
The polite untruth.
The social glue.
"I'm fine."
[Fade Out]
