The Backdoor Is Just an

You drew a door behind the frame

You drew a door behind the frame

A little handle, brass and bright

Said, “When the room gets hard to breathe,

You’ll slip away before first light”

I traced the seam along the wall

I found the paint, I found the nail

You made a map that led nowhere

And called the dead end an escape

The backdoor is just an illusion

The backdoor is just an illusion

A painted way out on the wall

You sold me safety in a whisper

But there was never room at all

The backdoor is just an illusion

I see the trick beneath the grain

I’m done believing in your exit

I’ll choose the door that bears my name

You kept the key inside your coat

You kept the key inside your coat

And let me think it could be mine

Each time I reached, you moved the room

And called the distance “one more try”

I pressed my hand against the paint

No hinge, no lock, no hidden track

You built a story out of fear

Then charged me just to take it back

The backdoor is just an illusion

The backdoor is just an illusion

A painted way out on the wall

You sold me safety in a whisper

But there was never room at all

The backdoor is just an illusion

I see the trick beneath the grain

I’m done believing in your exit

I’ll choose the door that bears my name

No borrowed key, no secret passage

No favor waiting in the dark

I’ll face the room you made around me

And leave by making my own mark

The backdoor was just an illusion

A painted way out on the wall

You sold me safety in a whisper

But I don’t need that room at all

The backdoor was just an illusion

The truth is plain beneath the grain

I’m done believing in your exit

I’ll choose the door that bears my name

I’ll choose the door that bears my name.