Cadmium Colors

Lyrics

[Verse 1] I spend my hours doing alchemy I mix my yellows and my blues to make a shade of green Prosaic practice of depravity Suspending innocents above their disbelief I wish that I could paint a pretty picture onto everything And leave a mark upon the world that felt like anything But maybe that's the essence of an artist and their legacy Just chasing down a sense of infamy (じゃ〜!) Put brush to canvas with a pirouette A simple motion makes the consequence intricate All the little nothings and my parapet I hope it's something that you don't forget [Chorus] Cadmium red is the ground beneath Cadmium orange, everything I see Cadmium yellow is the air I breathe Cadmium colors painted inside me I can make autumn from a single leaf Steal a fine picture like a first class thief Make the water work like you won't believe Find a new world that can set you free How could anybody ever live like me? [Verse 2] I spend my hours doing alchemy I make a life refining zinc inside the smeltery It's not exactly where I want to be But wanting doesn't matter when there's mouths to feed I wish that I could paint a pretty picture of a fantasy And turn a feeling to a living for my family Instead I make the metals in the pigments in my reverie And maybe that can be enough for me Oh, isn't it funny facing destiny? Its like a knife inside twisting my arteries God, I want for nothing but identity I think that something might be wrong with me [Chorus] Cadmium red is the ground beneath Cadmium orange, everything I see Cadmium yellow is the air I breathe Cadmium colors painted inside me Antegrade fever, 101 degrees Shatter my body with a gentle breeze Dammit, I am real and I have my dreams Watch me burn brighter 'til I fail to breathe How could anybody ever live like me? [Bridge] (Baby, do you know what it's like to die?) (To see the sparkle fade from inside your eye?) I can't remember what it's like to feel autonomy Can't even feel it in the moments that you left to me (I don't wanna leave with a work undone) (The paint can barely dry 'fore it fills my lungs) I kept a bullet in the chamber, mocking me But I don't wanna feel it coming out of me I don't want— [Saxophone Solo: Soneji] [Verse 3] I spend my hours doing alchemy I mix my yellows and my blues to make a shade of green Chasing impossible philosophy And hoping that this poison ain't the death of me [Chorus] Cadmium red is the ground beneath Cadmium orange, everything I see Cadmium yellow is the air I breathe Cadmium colors painted inside me I can make autumn from a single leaf Steal a fine picture like a first class thief Make the water work like you won't believe Find a new world that can set you free How could anybody ever live like— [Outro] (Baby, do you know what you wanna hear?) ('Cause you can say the word, make it oh so clear) We're all just searching for a sense of solidarity To hold each other close and confiscate our destiny (No one wants to leave with a work undone) (We only need a brush we can pass along) I kept a bullet in the chamber for a rainy day But what's the point in planning for it anyway? I've got too many colors for a shade of grey And I can make it autumn every single day