Trauma and Catharsis

[Verse 1]
Quiet lives of desperation
We maniacally cling to the unreal
Life pursues its stranglehold
Upon us its pain revealed
We as a race are frail and weak
Crises leave us paralyzed
We strain to deal with what's thrown at us
We're therefore traumatized
Really I speak for no one but me
And I am losing my grasp
On that which I must call myself
This burden might be my last
Stranded and sinking into remorse
The darkest recesses of my mind
The cavernous tyranny of pain and fear
Is lunacy far behind?

[Chorus]
I have dealt eternally with anguish
I will learn to live with my distress
From all this trauma comes profound catharsis
And a way to cope with my life's bitterness

[Verse 2]
Loneliness draped around my neck
In its sinister seduction
I pray a light will come from this
My frightened introspection
Lifetime misery and its brethren
Has depleted my reserves
This has brought me the true conclusion
Nothing is what I deserve
My early involvement in sordid acts
Has left me scarred for life
The road I have taken, self-doubt intact
Denigration is my wife
Am I a slave to the powers that be?
Have I any inner strength?
Fleeting struggles of humanity
I pontificate at length

[Chorus]
I have dealt eternally with anguish
I have learned to live with my distress
From all this trauma comes profound catharsis
And a way to cope with my life's bitterness

[Bridge]
As an outcast, I've become inner-dependent
Trapped in a world of lies
But now I must question my own self-worth
That leaves me demoralized
Possessing fate of mental demons
Surrounds my soul in these masses of pain
Voices damning all of my thoughts
Self-infliction capacities retained
I'm not the only one in this world
Who's suffered through emotional discord
Intensities caustic and penetrating
Is it me I've spent all my life hating?
Thinking distorted, emotions clouded
By my personal asceticism
In condemnation I've been enshrouded
Acetylene baptism

[Chorus]
I have dealt eternally with anguish
I will learn to live with my distress
From all this trauma comes profound catharsis
And a way to cope with my life's bitterness

[Verse 3]
I've expunged a multitude of
But sad to say not all my doubts and fears
But I look forward with trepidation
And step with caution into my remaining years
I am quite sure that in these words
There's not much hope that things will ever change
Maybe my time for suffering's past
And I can vaguely hope for brighter days

[Chorus]
I have dealt eternally with anguish
I have learned to live with life's distress
From all this trauma came profound catharsis
And a way to cope with my life's bitterness