The Weight of the World

The time that is forever on my hands
Seems to quickly pass me by
A thousand thoughts are set upon collision course
Fragment and echo through my mind
The distant voices barely penetrate these walls
Just whispers in a dream
Outside, a painted smile, a mask of sanity
These things are never what they seem

And when it comes, sleep's a wonderous thing
So precious and so rare
But sleep is no escape from my anxiety
For dreams are always there
And in my dreams I climb the broken steps
Of a staircase to the sky
And every night I'm stranded halfway up
While you all pass on by

Open your eyes but not too wide
There's only so much that you can fit inside

Take a look far beyond these eyes
And you may see me there
Between the Earth and sky, reality and dream
A place of hope and of despair
And if you know the secret that unlocks the door
Release me from this cell
And lead me down the narrow, winding paths
That I once knew so well