The Shadow Rising (Music Video)

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The Shadow Rising
by Josh Schlossberg
Something’s going wrong these days,
Can’t you smell it in the air?
Like everyone is half asleep
And stuck in their worst nightmare?
The mood is off, the light is bad.
A heaviness that weighs
Our shoulders down. That ringing
In our ears won’t go away.
Consumption and addiction,
Our minds been dashed to pieces,
Swallowing foul substances,
Spreading our diseases.
Chorus
People finally taking off
The masks that were disguising
The darkness filling up our eyes—
Here comes the shadow rising.
A simple word can turn a smile
Into a shouting match,
The way one rotten apple will
Spoil the whole batch.
People pointing fingers
To find someone to blame,
Pretending that they’re not the ones
Rigging the whole damn game.
Compassion is long gone,
In its place sheer malice.
On each soul a stain,
On every heart a callus.
Chorus
Everyone’s disposable
Unless they play that role,
Try and try another one,
You’ll never fit that hole.
We claim we want connection,
A cup we’d love to fill,
When all we’re really after
Is just another thrill.
We care so much about the stuff
That couldn’t matter less,
While we ignore the very things
That got us in this mess.
Chorus
We spend most of our time
Nursing endless grudges.
No matter what the facts may be
Our opinion never budges.
Tongues too quick to lash,
Fists so fast to raise,
All we do is criticize,
We’ve forgotten how to praise.
Breaking up relationships,
Trashing reputations,
Taking people’s lives
In the name of God or nation.
Chorus
The world’s become so broken,
We don’t think we can fix it,
So, instead, we’re only looking
For an easy exit.
What if we accept
The darkness that must fall?
Can we stop pretending
We’re the fairest of them all?
Perhaps a peace will come to us,
If we no longer chase it,
Stop running from our shadow
And try to embrace it.