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The hope, the hype, projections of heroic strength

The highlights, the bright lights, the thin veneer of calm

Beauty and wisdom, skin deep or misunderstood

The limits of endurance, break before the brotherhood

The pride, the fall (the fall from grace), from those Olympian heights

The Wax wings, the choking, suspended animation

All those brave words echoing in your ears

But beneath the harsh lights exposed the fear

dust off your halo, plastic crown of thorns

your eyes are pained, oh that’s real

wrap yourself in your tattered rags

head hung low, weep, oh humiliation

Leave it all on the field of play

You will live to fight another day

What does it matter what all the people say

They will still line up to pay…

"I’m just here so I won’t get fined"

I’m doing fine oh got mine, don’t owe you a fucking thing

Fallen, headlong, subdued and broken willed

shattered, humbled discouraged and unfulfilled

pierced, stabbed with pangs of burning regret

tattooed in patterns of the shame that you can’t forget

to the victor the spoils, the vanquished to the rubbish bin

Would the wine of victory ever taste as sweet

without the bitter bile of certain defeat?