1. |
What's Left Inside
04:51
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What’s Left Inside
(Skinner)
My darkest day, confused and at an all-time low
My disdain, I’m left questioning all I’ve ever known
My heart lays slain; a million shards in a pool of blood
So many mistakes, one too many to overcome
You’ve led me to a place where dreams go to die
Where greedy jesters play with the last slivers of my pride
Abandoned forced to face the fragile remains of my life
Where ravenous vultures discover… what’s left inside
In a daze, broken, emotionally numb
Forever changed, a refection I now run from
Intense pain, sadness and anger swallow me whole
Bitter shame, Karma’s paying me back sevenfold
You’ve led me to a place where dreams go to die
Where greedy jesters play with the last slivers of my pride
Abandoned forced to face the fragile remains of my life
Where ravenous vultures discover… what’s left inside
Breath no more
Dream no more
You’ve led me to a place where dreams go to die
Where greedy jesters play with the last slivers of my pride
Abandoned forced to face the fragile remains of my life
Where ravenous vultures discover… what’s left inside
-End-
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2. |
In Silence
04:56
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In Silence
We each harbor regrets
Breathe deep we’re lost… in silence
Silence
We’re lost and barely holding on
What’s left to believe in?
Masking the hurt at all costs
Portray ordinary
Now just a shell of what we were
We no longer shine
Inside so hollow, hollow
And yet we beg for more
As we slowly succumb
Never admitting it’s over
The film of our lives faded
Not even the sound remaining
As we watch in silence
Memories of a past wasted
Quickly flash before our faces
As we watch in silence
Reaching out for something real
But feeling nothing
Concealing wounds that time won’t heal
Can’t stop the bleeding
Blind eyes turn as we slip away
Now look at what we’ve become
Inside so hollow, hollow
And yet we beg for more
As we slowly succumb
Never admitting it’s over
The film of our lives faded
Not even the sound remaining
As we watch in silence
Memories of a past wasted
Quickly flash before our faces
As we watch in silence
This pain that we carry inside
Forges our prison
Is the only thing that still feels right
Guilt and obligation
The emptiness that we try to hide
Still makes us feel alive
Inside so hollow, hollow
And yet we beg for more
As we slowly succumb
Never admitting it’s over
The film of our lives faded
Not even the sound remaining
As we watch in silence
Memories of a past wasted
Quickly flash before our faces
As we watch in silence (x2)
-End-
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3. |
The Haunting Hours
04:34
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The Haunting Hours
(Skinner)
Something is stirring truly unnerving
A feeling that we’re not alone
An open portal never felt so mortal
As we brave into the unknown
Footsteps down the halls pounding on the walls
Did we really hear those sounds?
We listen close searching for mankind’s ghosts
…That within this place seem bound
Cold spots encountered, disembodied screams
Skeptics faced with fear dismiss all that they hear
But not what own eyes will see…
In the haunting hours white mists and shadow men prey
Glowing orbs perform a supernatural ballet
My stomach is churning these scratches are burning
The hair stands on the back of my neck
Doors open and closing, the growling the moaning
My heart’s beating out of my chest
We enter the black to provoke an attack
Prove to me evidence of control
Cold spots encountered, disembodied screams
Skeptics faced with fear dismiss all that they hear
But not what own eyes will see…
In the haunting hours white mists and shadow men prey
Glowing orbs perform a supernatural ballet
Apparitions appear among twisted decay
In the haunting hours the past is reclaimed
Cold spots encountered, disembodied screams
Skeptics faced with fear dismiss all that they hear
But not what own eyes will see…
In the haunting hours white mists and shadow men prey
Glowing orbs perform a supernatural ballet
Apparitions appear among twisted decay
In the haunting hours the past is reclaimed
Lifeless remnants show yourselves to me
Welcome use some of my energy
Message received unknown entity
Captured visions are beyond belief
-End-
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4. |
A Sea of Melancholy
05:03
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A Sea of Melancholy
(Skinner)
Judge me not…
I fight a private war
Surrounded yet alone
Headstrong
Forever a silent witness
Slave to my own sickness
Judge me not
Passing days, simple gestures
Battling desperate measures
Everything is wrong
Sinking
Yet no one can see
I am lost…
In a sea of melancholy
Judge me not…
Another day a new Hell
Trapped in this emotive cell
Depression
Keeping friends at a distance
Taking paths of least resistance
Avoiding their questions
Refusal to listen
Everyone has their damned opinions
Frustration
Sinking
Yet no one can see
I am lost…
In a sea of melancholy
Sinking
There’s no saving me
I am lost…
In a sea of melancholy
Sinking
Yet no one can see
I am lost…
In a sea of melancholy
Sinking
There’s no saving me
I am lost…
In a sea of melancholy
-End-
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5. |
The Ferryman
05:40
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The Ferryman
(Skinner)
Flickering torches line corridor walls
Startled shadows retreat down the hall
The river Styx lay before us just ahead
It casts an illuminating glow of devil red
Gather your coins one each for the ferryman
Draw your courage and place it in his skeletal hand
Welcome aboard gestures the ferryman
We’ve safe passage across the river of the damned
An ancient vessel now ravaged by time
Afloat on the essence of those left behind
A stream of fire infused with captive grace
A spectral dance performed within the flames
Gather your coins one each for the ferryman
Draw your courage and place it in his skeletal hand
Welcome aboard gestures the ferryman
We’ve safe passage across the river of the damned
Unfamiliar faces appear one by one
Their dead stares haunt me and won’t be undone
In a hypnotic trance before me they sway and swim
Each one is beckoning me to dive in
Gather your coins one each for the ferryman
Draw your courage and place it in his skeletal hand
Welcome aboard gestures the ferryman
We’ve safe passage across the river of the damned
-End-
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6. |
How Many Ways I Can Die
04:36
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How Many Ways I Can Die
(Skinner)
Wake, I’m finally awake
Lifted your veil of treason
Games, the ones that you play
A pawn sacrificed for no reason
Lies, the ones that you hide
Surrounding me like a prison
Words, the ones that hurt
And cut with such precision
You’re spinning webs in my head
I’m just a toy in your hands
A marionette wrapped around your finger
I’ve been awakened
All this time forsaken
You leave me wondering
How many ways I can die
I’ve been awakened
All this time forsaken
You leave me wondering
How many ways I can die
Hands, illusions so grand
Holding promises now broken
Heart, you’ve ripped it apart
Your motives remain unspoken
You’re spinning webs in my head
I’m just a toy in your hands
A marionette wrapped around your finger
I’ve been awakened
All this time forsaken
You leave me wondering
How many ways I can die
I’ve been awakened
All this time forsaken
You leave me wondering
How many ways I can die
I’ve been awakened
All this time forsaken
You leave me wondering
How many ways I can die
I’ve been awakened
All this time forsaken
You leave me wondering
How many ways I can die
How many ways I can die
How many ways I can die
-End-
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7. |
My Tribulation
03:53
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My Tribulation
(Skinner)
An empty dark road before me, a clouded troubled mind
Please God don’t leave me alone with these thoughts tonight
I played the part of your fool blinded to your lies
In hindsight, perhaps I should’ve seen the signs
Tonight, I wander among these ruins of my life
I’m the forgotten one you left behind
Full of anger, left wondering why
Tonight, I convince myself It’ll be alright
Tonight ends… my tribulation
Now awakened the calm inside me has quickly died
My happiness given way to rage-filled cries
Recalling memories of you with eyes opened wide
Abandoned, soul shaken and desensitized
Tonight, I pick up the pieces of my shattered pride
I’m the forgotten one you left behind
Full of anger, left wondering why
Tonight, I convince myself It’ll be alright
Tonight ends… my tribulation
I’m the forgotten one you left behind
Full of anger, left wondering why
Tonight, I convince myself It’ll be alright
Tonight ends… my tribulation
I’m the forgotten one you left behind
Full of anger, left wondering why
Tonight, I convince myself It’ll be alright
Tonight ends… my tribulation
-End-
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8. |
Among The Ashes
04:10
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Among The Ashes
(Skinner)
How quickly your patience turns to rage
Tell me darling, what is wrong today?
Cause your smile no longer shines
As you’re telling me you’re fine
It is written on your face
Your voice just doesn’t sound the same
I’m defending our castle walls
While you’re stabbing holes into my armor
I’ve bled for you all I could
I’m trying to save you but you’re pulling me under
Echoes of what we once were
Joyful laughter now haunting silence
Holding strong as our world falls
I’ll continue fighting among the ashes…
Once a hero, erased from your page
A lingering ghost who’s lost his place
Now all the colors fade to gray
While I absorb all the blame
Endless self-destructive trials
Directed in complete denial
I’m defending our castle walls
While you’re stabbing holes into my armor
I’ve bled for you all I could
I’m trying to save you but you’re pulling me under
Echoes of what we once were
Joyful laughter now haunting silence
Holding strong as our world falls
I’ll continue fighting among the ashes of my heart
-End-
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9. |
Unfinished
04:53
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Unfinished
(Skinner)
Touch… breathe… leave…
The memories haunt me
End… scene… repeat
Again, in my mind
Your smile torments my soul
A missing half that makes me whole
Lost when I close my eyes
Reliving moments caught in time
Each day renewed sentence
Ongoing life penance
I force myself, try to forget
I can’t get you out of my head
I look at you and, in an instant,
I’m falling again
Two hearts sharing one pain
Neither willing to let go
Each traveling the same
Long solitary road
With only time to blame
I want to share your highs and lows
But that’s unrealistic
So, we leave things unfinished
Muse… speak… please…
Resonate through me
Long… dream… believe…
Then reality reclaims me
And I’m back in my room
The phantom smell of your perfume
My head continues to swim
The desire stalking me again
Each day renewed sentence
Ongoing life penance
I force myself, try to forget
I can’t get you out of my head
I look at you and, in an instant,
I’m falling again
Two hearts sharing one pain
Neither willing to let go
Each traveling the same
Long solitary road
With only time to blame
I want to share your highs and lows
But that’s unrealistic
So, we leave things unfinished
Two hearts sharing one pain
Neither willing to let go
Each traveling the same
Long solitary road
With only time to blame
I want to share your highs and lows
But that’s unrealistic
So, we leave things unfinished
-End-
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10. |
Cain
05:32
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Cain
(Skinner)
This blood on my hands
Won’t wash away forever stained in regret
Oh God…
What have I done?
I knelt before you in purity
And humbly delivered my offerings
I shouldn’t confuse your apathy
With my own selfish vanity
He’s the favored and I’m the sinner
With Hellfire burning through my veins
He’s the martyr, I’m the killer
He’s my brother, I am Cain
Worse than a thief sneaking in the night
A shadow of shame and broken pride
With a poisonous devil screaming at my side
The adoration should be mine
He’s the favored and I’m the sinner
With Hellfire burning through my veins
He’s the martyr, I’m the killer
He’s my brother, I am Cain
I’m a sinner, I’m a killer
I am Cain
He’s the favored and I’m the sinner
With Hellfire burning through my veins
He’s the martyr, I’m the killer
He’s my brother, I am Cain
He’s the favored and I’m the sinner
With Hellfire burning through my veins
He’s the martyr, I’m the killer
He’s my brother, I am Cain
The envy of man
A boiling rage
Loss of control
Forever shamed
This blood on my hands
Won’t wash away
An innocent soul
Forever stained
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11. |
Wicked Whys
04:32
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Wicked Whys
(Skinner)
You’ve such a skewed view of right
A dishonest conceited mind
Twisted imagination, queen of manipulation
So miserable beyond repair
Spouting prejudice without a care
Infect me like a cancer, self-proclaimed master deceiver
March out your lies lined up in single file
And watch them unwind as you sit pretty in denial
A bittersweet goodbye to your disguise
You cannot hide behind tear-filled eyes
Veil’s fallen away on your charade
Out in plain sight are your wicked whys
Once again playing a victim’s tune
Everybody is wrong but you
You’re pulling all the strings
While painting perfect scenes
So proud when you’re at your worse
Everything that you touch is cursed
Aware of the Hell you’re wreaking
You’re so far gone it’s sickening
March out your lies lined up in single file
And watch them unwind as you sit pretty in denial
A bittersweet goodbye to your disguise
You cannot hide behind tear-filled eyes
Veil’s fallen away on your charade
Out in plain sight are your wicked whys
Your wicked whys
You should’ve known this would all end in ruin
Of course, you wouldn’t with your holier than thou delusions
A bittersweet goodbye to your disguise
You cannot hide behind tear-filled eyes
Veil’s fallen away on your charade
Out in plain sight are your wicked whys
Your wicked whys
Your wicked whys
Your wicked whys
You’re wicked
-End-
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12. |
The Dark Design
05:47
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The Dark Design
(Skinner)
Behind walls of glass the arrogant watch us
Commanding from towers above
Silencing voices, deciding our choices
Until finally push comes to shove
Controlling the masses, disguising trespasses
Through fear and sly manipulation
Creatures of habit we cling to false hopes
Trusting naive expectations
If I’m dead inside, mark my grave 666
Label me as a danger but you’re the same
Which one is sick?
The world’s changing, sweet hell divine
Don’t you forsake me and turn a blind eye
No one can blame me you should know why
I’m what you’ve made me… your dark design
The elite are certain and treat us as vermin
Fighting over scraps we scour
Scattering like ants under a magnifying glass
While our hopes and our faith they devour
Stirring their pot, they continue to plot
Taking pleasure in our misdirection
Serving a sentence lashing out in vengeance
We live up to their expectations
If I’m dead inside, mark my grave 666
Label me as a danger but you’re the same
Which one is sick?
The world’s changing, sweet hell divine
Don’t you forsake me and turn a blind eye
No one can blame me you should know why
I’m what you’ve made me… your dark design
Look at what you have done,
Another unwanted son
And at what I’ve become,
A statistic with a gun
I carry the pain of one
In a world now broken
I’m remembered by none
You will remember me
Look at what you have done,
Another unwanted son
And at what I’ve become,
A statistic with a gun
I carry the pain of one
In a world now broken
I’m remembered by none
You will remember me
-END-
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13. |
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Seven Angels
Twisted tongue and broken now
There we walk around and round
Arctic halls are drifting grey
Music that nobody plays
Ghosts of lovers kiss and tell
Drowning in the wishing well
Deep inside the strangest dream
Is it you who waits for me?
On a sidewalk going nowhere
Seven angels in the sky
Take a piece of my heart if you wanna leave me
Please don’t go
Take one of my wings if you wanna fly
Please don’t go
Take a few of the dreams we shared and keep them
Buried in the snow
Warm and safe beneath the snow
All for one and one for you
It doesn’t matter what you do
Deep Inside the strangest dream
Is not the safest place to be
Did you feel the shiny knife?
Running through your silent life
They say these arms are pure and light
But they cut so deep into the night
And the sidewalk is going nowhere
Seven angels in the sky
Take a piece of my heart if you wanna leave me
Please don’t go
Take one of my wings if you wanna fly
Please don’t go
Take a few of the dreams we shared and keep them
Buried in the snow
Warm and safe beneath the snow
There it ends beneath the snow
Then the sun came
Please don’t
Sidewalk is going nowhere
Seven angels in the sky
Take a piece of my heart if you wanna leave me
Please don’t go
Take one of my wings if you wanna fly
Please don’t go
Take a few of the dreams we shared and keep them
Buried in the snow
Safe beneath the snow
Then the sun came
Please don’t
Seven angels in the sky
Then the sun came
Please don’t
Seven angels in the sky
There’s seven angels in the sky
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Norman Skinner (Skinner) Elk Grove, California
Heavy Metal Vocalist Norman Skinner "The Metal Chameleon" known as the dynamic frontman for Niviane, Skinner & Elemantis. (Former lead vocalist for Imagika, Hellscream & Dire Peril)
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