Lyrics

[Intro — spoken, amused]
Come on.
Smile.
They’re looking.
[Verse 1]
I learned early how to work a room,
how to make a coffin feel like perfume,
how to turn a bad night into a line,
make them laugh and tell them I’m fine.
Timing sharp, delivery clean,
nothing ugly gets backstage seen,
throw them a joke before they stare,
give them a punchline, hide the tear.
[Pre-Chorus]
If they laugh,
they don’t inspect.
If they laugh,
they don’t suspect.
Keep it light.
Keep it bright.
Never ruin someone else’s night.
[Chorus]
Smile on cue,
that’s what good men do.
Break your heart,
then make it funny too.
Make them laugh,
make it clean,
keep the blood behind the scene.
Smile on cue.
They came for you.
Don’t disappoint the room.
[Verse 2]
I know exactly when to grin,
right before the questions settle in,
somebody asks if I’ve been sleeping—
I make a joke.
And they stop digging.
Perfect trick.
Reliable.
Turn the unbearable into something quotable.
If pain lands wrong,
change the tone.
Make everybody comfortable.
Go home alone.
[Pre-Chorus]
If they laugh,
they don’t remain.
Nobody studies entertaining pain.
Keep it quick.
Keep it smart.
Never let them see the difficult part.
[Chorus]
Smile on cue,
that’s what good men do.
Break your heart,
then make it funny too.
Make them laugh,
make it clean,
keep the blood behind the scene.
Smile on cue.
They came for you.
Don’t disappoint the room.
[Bridge — music becomes darker]
Funny thing—
I don’t remember
when the jokes became automatic.
I don’t remember
when I stopped deciding to smile.
Maybe somewhere between
“Are you okay?”
and
“You always make me laugh.”
Maybe I got so good at entertaining the wound...
nobody noticed there was one.
[Break — spoken, with faint audience laughter]
Bad childhood?
Punchline.
Broken heart?
Punchline.
Couldn’t sleep?
Punchline.
Lost yourself?
...
Work in progress.
[Final Chorus]
Smile on cue,
you know what to do.
Give them the version
they can comfortably sit through.
Make them laugh,
make it fast,
turn the damage into an act.
Smile on cue.
Nobody came
to watch a grown man crack.
Smile on cue.
One more joke.
One more perfectly timed lie.
Smile on cue.
Keep them laughing...
so they never ask why.
[Outro — spoken, smile audible at first, then gone]
Thank you.
You’ve been wonderful.
...
I wish I was joking.