Afterthought - The Standard Reply Lyrics

I catch my reflection in the smoky glass
Amber waves; they play as the lights float past
In the distance, I hear a voice; not mine
"How's it going?" A question heard a million times

A fleeting pause that lasts a thousand years
Quickened breath, a sigh; fighting back a tear
"Everything is fine", the standard reply

Silence washes over me in waves
I have never felt anything this vague
Undefined. Indistinct. Without form
A specter erecting internal walls

You know it's true
The things they say to you
You can't run away or
Bury your head in the sand

Why would it be me?
How certain can they be?
I know myself more than
They could ever hope to

This makes no difference
Fate shows no deference
When she picks a path for you

No-one chose my path for me
Nothing laid out at my feet
My life; my words you will heed

Yet you ramble on the same
Reasons levied in vain

All my morality
How did it get me here?

This cannot be happening to me