Lyrics

First one took a look at the line and found anatomy
Announced it to the room like he uncovered a catastrophe
And I wasn't mad, I was struck by the accuracy
Of what it said about HIM. 'Cause a line's just a line, casually
Till he walks up with a want and a theory he's manufacturing
You ain't describe my face, my guy
Just what you was capturing

Second one is huntin' for ma government identity
Postin' like it's principle, performin' like it's honesty
Brandin' himself real, the one that ain't a phony, see
In a room where every single one's leanin' on machinery

But he don't want the music. Never did. He want a body he can aim at
Somebody he can name and shame and frame and hang a claim at 'cause a blank don't bleed
A blank don't beg a blank won't hand you leverage
And a man who can't be humbled just terrifies 'em

Third one sees the death of all the shit he loved in it, and honestly
That's fair. The man is grievin'. Just aimed it at the nearest property
Three of 'em, one surface, readin different sentencing
And not a one of 'em was really lookin', now what's the lesson, hu

Tell me what you see

It don't say nothin' back

Go on. Tell me what it means

It don't say nothin' back

Everybody show up with a blade or a need
Gotta carve a little window... so they can breathe
Tell me what you see

And it don't say nothin' back

Then the screen took a look, and that's still the part that's gettin' me
Couldn't build it, couldn't hold it, every gen just messy
'every mask it ever ate had somethin' hollowed in the front
Eye slits, jagged mouth, so it handed me the stunt
What a face is s'posed to be, kept carvin' little windows in
Kept handin' back a Halloween, Guy Fawkes lookin
Told it mannequin instead and that was holdin' for a month
Then it drifted back to features 'cause a blank was not enough
So I quit sayin' what it was. That's it in its entirety
Gave it geometry, no label, let the shape describe to me
Never said that word again - first pass came out pristine
And I sat there for a minute, 'cause revelation settin in
Same flinch as the flesh, innit? same reflex, same operation
It don't see what's in front of it, it sees the expectation
Everything it ever swallowed showin' up as accusation
Already answered

Then there's the fourth who ain't hostile at all, and those ma favorite one
Heard a bar about the quiet years, felt close
And come lookin' for the guy behind it 'cause the guy said somethin' true
I get it. Fully. If it hit me like that, I'd be lookin' too
But mate, a face becomes a filter and i'd never get to lose it
Every little bias that gets thrown you'd somehow make me prove it
You see age, accent and the address, my whole frame
And every line I get to write from there
You'd just funnel through that name

Tell me what you see

It don't say nothin' back

Go on. Tell me what it means

It don't say nothin' back

Everybody show up with a blade or a need
Gotta carve a little window... so they can breathe -
Tell me what you see

And it don't say nothin' back

So I looked at it last and had a blast
Of how flattering mine is
No color, no age, no pretty, no image
Nothin' for a soul to like me for, nothin' to hold against it
Just the words and whether they was honest when I sent it
And that's a gorgeous readin'. And it's mine and a trap and the truth in the same breath, 'cause I'm the fifth man at the mast
And I'm holdin' up that empty thing and tellin' everybody what's inside it
Same as them
Only difference is small, but I'ma keep it
I knew that it was empty when I made it. And the reason
Blank isn't hidin'. Blank is me steppin' outta way
They think there's a face behind it
There's a guy. He's plain and the same
As anybody's, and knowin' him tells you nothin' about a single song
Which is somehow the one answer not a one of you can take as one
So cut 'n carve, come with ya knive and a story once in every season
It still won't bleed
And never say a word back
For any of these reasons

Tell me what you see

It don't say nothin' back

Go on. Tell me what it means

It don't say nothin' back

Everybody show up with a blade or a need
Gotta carve a little window... so they can breathe
Tell me what you see

And you'll see yourself right back

Essays

• Where I Went (Again) October 9, 2026