The curtains open once more
And I look into the eyes of the watching crowd
But even after my performance
I never once felt proud

Then I take a bow and walk off stage
I take off my mask, temporarily free
I see someone who I thought would compliment my performance
Yet he doesn't recognize me

I want to do anything else, be a teacher or a politician
But the next day, I'll walk back onto the stage
Everything in my body is telling me to stop
Yet I keep performing for no wage

I wish I was in the wings, like I was years ago
Pretending it was me in the burning spotlight
And I found my peace in the drowning shadows
Yet I wanted to be louder with all my might

When will this show finally end?
I walk on stage with despair I've so long felt
The spotlight causes my skin to burn and melt

The red curtains open fast
Will this time finally be the last?

I have seen those Golden Seas
And my name burned on someone's tongue
I locked myself out of life with my own keys
And I gasped for the toxic air in my poisoned lung

I must've forgotten who I was supposed to be
I hoped everything would be okay with a bit of luck
Then suddenly I was set free
And once more, I finally woke up.

On a firefly lit night, the clouds a quiet grey
Plants blowing from the wind of an ending day
With the calming darkness of an eternal evening
Lit by the fireflies from late May

Dancing flames flutter above the field below
Little stars on the ground shine with their glow
And we'd catch these stars in our little hands
We'd admire their beauty, then let them go

There was a faint warmth that lingered on our skin
And a smile that made us dizzy, like a never-ending spin
You could smell the flowers from a distance away
Then wonder if this is where you should've always been

With laughter circling all around
With a light in the night near the darkened ground
With a heart racing from exhilarating excitement
With the despair of a dream that'll never come back 'round

The clouds, now less loud, are not shaken by a shout cheerful and wild
And now the old flower, whether rose or sunflower, are now not contently watching a child

An ember, thought to last forever, burned down to an ash
A memory, thought to last forever, disappeared in a flash

The fireflies still glide with their pride above the darkened ground
In their flight, lighting up the night, a night now with no sound

A memory, gold and bold, that we didn't know we made
In the wear and tear of life was sure to fade

It's fragile beauty danced up and down the trees
Moonlit night clouds with a serene breeze
Though that day may seem like it could go forever on
Our perpetual dreams are now perpetually long gone

Time seemed to move slowly, yet it was only going faster
As I held in my hands the bright petals of a radiant purple aster
If not for those fireflies, we would not be able to see
How this late evening in May would be stuck with us eternally

If we could go back one more time
Back to the night of the firefly's shine
If we could go back to that golden night
Then that would be the most wondrous sight

Though we were all there as kids, just to play
We have no more need to go back or stay
If I returned there, like we had always swore
There would be no one there anymore

Firefly lit nights seemed to last forever on that late evening in May
But like the firefly's dimming light, not even time was there to stay.

I want the people who left me to see my face in the streets
I am the face of all people in the filled up seats
They'll hear my voice in all the songs they play
I am the wind that'll show them the way
They'll hate that they'll see me in their afternoon tea
They'll drown when they see me in the swimming sea
I'll come back to haunt them, day and night
I'm the ghost in the fog that gives them a fright
They'll feel stuck, trapped, haunted by me
They'll hear me with every song from bird or bumble bee
They'll finally feel just a little remorse
And try to find me in every book and resource
And on days when the sun has gone away
I'll be the thunder in their mind that will forever stay
For every tear they made me cry, I'll make them cry three
So cry me a river, lake, or sea
I'm just a spirit following them from behind
I'm just a phantom, invading their mind
And with some time, they'll think I'm gone
And they'll peacefully look over their house and lawn
And they'll admire June's scorching sun
And they'll think they've finally won
They'll think no part of them is shattered and rotten
And when they can finally stop living their lives in fear
I want them to hear my voice echo in their ear