[Verse 1]
I see you’ve decorated the lounge in a shade of enthusiasm I simply cannot match
Ribbons leap from the ceiling, confetti at the latch
You greet me with kindness I stumble to receive
Smile lacquered and brittle, I pretend to believe
Cards taped to the mantel, sincerity arranged
Your delight too sincere for me to exchange

[Chorus]
Why does your laughter sound so strange
I stand unmoved, you rearrange
The room in colors I can’t claim
Oh happy faces, am I the blame

[Post-Chorus]
Ha ha, oh no, ha ha, don’t go

[Verse 2]
Gifts piled too high, shaped like affection
I brought a card and mild deflection
Marching balloons and voices ascending
It’s your kindness that feels unrelenting

[Pre-Chorus]
It’s not envy or regret
It’s a comfort I forget
Chilled by the sunny welcome mat
I take my place, imagine that

[Chorus]
Why does your laughter sound so strange
I stand unmoved, you rearrange
The room in colors I can’t claim
Oh happy faces, am I the blame

[Post-Chorus]
Ha ha, oh no, ha ha, don’t

[Bridge]
Candles too bright for candor
Wishes I never made
I count the claps politely
Behind a paper barricade

[Verse 3]
The cake spells names I borrowed
Wrapped in generous delight
I linger in the doorway
Swallowed by the polite

[Chorus]
Why does your laughter sound so strange
I stand unmoved, you rearrange
The room in colors I can’t claim
Oh happy faces, am I the blame

[Post-Chorus]
Ha ha, oh no, ha ha, don’t go
Ha ha, oh no, ha ha, don’t go

[Outro]
Polite applause subsides to chatter
Streamers drift to the floor
Someone shouts my name in laughter
It echoes at the door

I thank you all in practiced tone
Smile small and walk alone
The lights flicker in surrender
To a joy I’ll never own
The lights flicker in surrender
To a joy I’ll never own

[Tag]
Paper hats tilt sideways
Footsteps out the hall
Past smiles built for always
I slip behind the wall

Brief memories already thinning
With the punch left in the bowl
I carry the weight of winning
But solitude is my role

[Farewell]
So happy for your reasons
So fine to stand apart
Every cheer a gentle season
Every silence, my counterpart
