Echoes of the Fading Heartbeat

[Intro] [Verse] The dust settles on the mantelpiece where gold trophies lean A photograph of a younger face within a silver sheen I recall the roar of thousands as the finish line drew near The taste of vintage victory when the path ahead was clear But the clock inside the hallway has a hollow wooden sound Turning every heavy heartbeat into seconds lost and found [Chorus] Success is just a trick of light upon a shifting tide A phantom in the hallway where the older ghosts reside I reached out for the summit but the stone began to fray The glory was a vapor that the North wind blew away It pulses in my temples like a drum beneath the skin The ending of the story where the shadows all begin [Bridge] Now the cheers are muffled by the distance of the years And the pride is salted by the suddenness of tears I gripped the world so tightly that it shattered in my palm The storm has left a silence that is heavier than calm [Verse] I walk across the checkered floor to touch the velvet drapes And watch the fading sunset form a thousand twisted shapes The medals and the ribbons are just trinkets on the shelf While I negotiate the borders of a long-forgotten self The thumping in my chest is like a knock upon a door To a house of grand illusions that don't matter anymore [Chorus] Success is just a trick of light upon a shifting tide A phantom in the hallway where the older ghosts reside I reached out for the summit but the stone began to fray The glory was a vapor that the North wind blew away It pulses in my temples like a drum beneath the skin The ending of the story where the shadows all begin [Outro]