Drama King (Lights, Camera, Action) [Radio Edit]

You know growing up people asked you what you want to be
I had never really given much thoughts until recently
It's not like I had never dreamt or desired
But most of those wishes had to do with being a survivor

As I am about to embark a change - quote - unquote
That makes no sense
I sit still and look back at the patterns how I ended up where I am
Begin to realize it's been multiples roles that I have adopted for stage
To get by and survive
As if - I am doing a one man play

When I was ten - one day
Out of the blue
I ran away from school
For years I thought I was lazy and couldn't handle a schedule that's full
But now realizing it was a reaction to shame and poverty
Crazy how convincing to myself
With all the repressed memory

Fast forward to year sixteenth
At the Sydney's Haymarket rooftop
Alone by myself, head down, weeping into
Deep, dark thoughts
For a young kid who started life in a foreign country by himself
The bullying and severe home sickness was
Just a bitch in hell

The Shame, the running aways
Are the made of the coming of age
Die trying to break out of the
Introvert, scared little boy frame
My life was never the same again
As they say in after-school specials
The only viable solution was to
Deny myself, trying on alter egos

Since then, as if the role called for the traits of an extrovert
Requiring plenty of bravados
While being loud with words
Lights, camera, action
Let the film roll
Enter the joker spitting wisecracks
Juggling bottles, on tricycle

As the new persona took off and gotten some tractions
The life of a party was exhausted in every occasion
With flattery, outrageous jokes
And shameless flirt
Giving a sure Money back-guarantee
To mask all the inner hurts

At work, imitating the Patrick Bateman of Psycho type
Very happy to deploy
Chainsaw, duct tapes, hammers in every fight
He knew he nailed the role
With a glowing review from an Americano
Son, of all the locals
You are by far, the most confrontational

Eventually he got tired being typecasted with the bad guys' persona
As he looked for something meatier
For his sensitive, worldly character
He abruptly left everything behind and moved west to reinvent
Eager to participate in the line up of
The "We are the world" chant

Hanged out at picket fences
Attired himself with crusader capes
Playing mr nice guy who lived life in a non material way
Lights, camera, action
Let the film roll
Enter the tree hugging
Politically corrected good guy hero

So he showed up at the doors of UN and all the INGOs
Expecting all of them to
Bow to this human supremo
But nope
Instead they made him beg for works but unpaid
Shredding the already fragile ego into
Thousands frays... thousand frays

Funny how things took a drastic and unpredictable turn
Now I ended up putting on monkey suits
Dog collars to make my earns
With the aid of fancy footwears and gelled back, coiffed cut, hair
Acted as if I belong - playing the games of, truth or dare

So far Life has been a series of jeers and cheers
But that ten year old reactive self still very much here
Long forgotten was that incident with the shampoo bottle
Could have been fatal though - but it ended up being, comical

Back to that rooftop - uncontrollable sobbing could be overheard
While struggling to contain a scene that may cause disturb
The sixteenth yr old imagined he's a superhero
Whowas knocked down again and again
But Eventually Rose up feeling the tingling sensation
In his hand

So, for my upcoming role
Probably the biggest one to date
Suspect there will be good, bad guys and in between at play
And As for my advice to the ten and the sixteenth year olds
Well - sometimes
You just gotta say fuck it and don't take things too personal