Mastermind - The Hard Way

Once upon a time The planets and the fates and all the stars aligned You and I ended up in the same room at the same time And the touch of a hand lit the fuse Of a chain reaction of countermoves To assess the equation of you Checkmate, I couldn't lose What if I told you none of it was accidental? And the first night that you saw me Nothing was gonna stop me I laid the groundwork, and then just like clockwork The dominoes cascaded in a line What if I told you I'm a mastermind? And now you're mine It was all by design 'Cause I'm a mastermind You see, all the wisest women had to do it this way 'Cause we were born to be the pawn in every lover's game If you fail to plan, you plan to fail Strategy sets the scene for the tale I'm the wind in our free-flowing sails And the liquor in our cocktails What if I told you none of it was accidental? And the first night that you saw me I knew I wanted your body I laid the groundwork, and then just like clockwork The dominoes cascaded in a line What if I told you I'm a mastermind? And now you're mine It was all my design 'Cause I'm a mastermind No one wanted to play with me as a little kid So I've been scheming like a criminal ever since To make them love me and make it seem effortless This is the first time I've felt the need to confess And I swear I'm only cryptic and Machiavellian 'cause I care So I told you none of it was accidental? And the first night that you saw me Nothing was gonna stop me I laid the groundwork, and then saw a wide smirk On your face, you knew the entire time You knew that I'm a mastermind And now you're mine Yeah, all you did was smile 'Cause I'm a mastermind

Anonymous existence, rendered useless to mankind Destroy the logic volume in the confines of the mind Enmassed and purposeless, marching in a perfect line Neo-neuro torture, mental meltdown, a heinous crime Mastermind, I tell you what to think Mastermind, I tell you what you need Mastermind, I tell you what to feel Mastermind Invade the core of souls to wipe the lives away Design vacant beings, welcome the inhuman race Encrypted horror codes, directive psyche overwrite Processing brains to pabulum, delete and format living drives Mastermind, I tell you what to think Mastermind, I tell you what you need Mastermind, I tell you what to feel Mastermind, I tell you what's real... Hail to the power age, lest the viral hour comes Raise the flag of voltage, bow to circuitry unknown Kneel before the processor, lords of static laugh Electrons in submission, you must know who I am I tell you what to think I don't care what you thought I tell you what to get I don't care what you got I tell you what to think I don't care what you thought I tell you what to get I don't care, I don't care what you got Mastermind, I tell you what to think (I don't care what you got) Mastermind, I tell you what you need Mastermind, I tell you what to feel (I don't care, I don't care what you got) Mastermind, subject!

Yeah Got me It's got me feelin' like It's got me feelin' like Like Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh I tasted guilt in your eyes As your lips begin to lie And it kills me every time But I always learn the hard way with you Just be cool Be kind Don't be dumb, don't be blind It's the sweetness in your smile It's nothing new Nothing new But I always learn the hard way And it always ends in heartbreak You put me in a hard place I always learn the hard way My heart breaks with you Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh I don't cry, I don't complain There's a pattern to this pain Just keep hopin' that could change But I always learn the hard way (with you) Let's just face it (let's just face it) I'm complacent (I'm complacent) I'm just comfortable (I'm just comfortable) Yes, I'm jaded (yes, I'm jaded) And it's all my fault 'Cause I know what to expect so it's cool Nothing new Swear I always learn the hard way And it always ends in heartbreak You put me in a hard place I always learn the hard way My heart breaks with you Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh Apologies And promises Our empty words Same ol' sh- Yesterday We were on And you were here But now you're gone Swear I always learn the hard way And it always ends in heartbreak You put me in a hard place I always learn the hard way My heart breaks with you Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh

Change the oil when you're supposed to Drink the things you could make a toast to No such thing as luck and don't lose touch With the ones you grew up close to I always thought that there was plenty of fish Out there in that blue sea 'Til I caught and lost the one that was made for me I learned the hard way, no stranger to the long way You gotta treat her right, you won't know what you lost until you're lonely And the score ain't always even, some doors are made for leavin' Take it from me that most good things in life just don't come easy I learned the hard way Yeah, I learned the hard way Keep the people by your side and good friends are hard to find Only thing that they ain't making any more of here is time So say I love you if you mean it and go practice what you're preachin' When it comes to God, ain't always "gotta see it to believe" I learned the hard way, no stranger to the long way You gotta treat her right, you won't know what you lost until you're lonely And the score ain't always even, some doors are made for leavin' Take it from me that most good things in life just don't come easy I learned the hard way Yeah, I learned the hard way I've learned you can't go undefeated, life comes and goes in seasons And everything that happens always happens for a reason The hard way Ooh, the hard way I learned the hard way, no stranger to the long way You gotta treat her right, you won't know what you lost until you're lonely And the score ain't always even, some doors are made for leavin' Take it from me that most good things in life just don't come easy I learned the hard way Yeah, I learned the hard way Mmm, I learned the hard way I learned the hard way, hmm-mmm

Oh my head Lately my eyes have been blood-shot red I'm lookin' for somewhere to hide Could you tell me where I needed to go? Oh my head Lately all my thoughts are arrivin' dead I drift where the sea meets the sky Could you tell me what I needed to know? Oh Maybe I always learn things the hard way I learn best from my mistakes The road I took was the wrong one It all works out in the long run Maybe there's no such thing as a rewind There's no way to go back in time I learn best from the replay I always learn things the hard way Words were said Now even the pain wants peace instead I bury my thoughts in the tide Could you tell me where I needed to go? On my bed Echoes of the trues and the lies we said The ocean, the mirror, the sky Tell me everything I needed to know Oh, maybe I can't keep blamin' it all on luck When I complain and I self-destruct Maybe it's me with the problems Stuck lookin' at you tryin' to solve 'em Maybe there's no such thing as a rewind There's no way to go back in time I learn best from the replay I learn things the hard way 'Cause maybe the learning comes from the mistake There's no beauty without pain No one said it would be easy We can't undo the things we said Even if I could, would you believe me? No one said it would be easy Maybe the song we sang was just out of time Maybe we could give it one more try One more try, yeah, yeah Oh, maybe the small violin and the tissue Hopin' to put it behind me and kiss you Singin' along to the chorus of "fix you" All along it was me with the issues Maybe there's no such thing as an easy fix In love or war or politics Maybe it's time that I dealt with this Finally learned things the hard way (Maybe there's no such thing) as a free ride (Maybe there's no such thing) as a free way (Maybe there's no such thing) as a rewind (Maybe there's no such thing) I know why you walked away (Maybe there's no such thing) as a quick fix (Maybe there's no such thing) but I don't wanna live like this (Maybe there's no such thing) I always learn things the hard way

I been, I been, I been I been touchin' fires for the sake of feelin' I been chasin', chasin' Chasin' all these highs so I could crash the ceiling I been restless, tempted to follow every devil way down I took it so low and at that time I had no way out I had to see Try to believe I write my story and this ain't how it's endin' Said to myself Said to myself "This ain't how I'm gonna go down" When the bottom hit my soul I had to climb up all alone When the night shone down my hope I had to find the light to hold You gotta break just a little Die just a little To come alive in the right way And sometimes to get home you gotta go The hard way, hard way Turnin', turnin', turnin' Turnin' every corner 'cause my heart was yearnin' For something more than 4am This open bed, no I don't miss that feelin' I don't see a reason Chasing love down a dead end But see the truth is I wouldn't know that unless I did I had to see Try to believe I write my story and this ain't how it's endin' Said to myself Said to myself, "this ain't how I'm gonna go down" When the bottom hit my soul I had to climb up all alone When the night shone down my hope I had to find the light to hold You gotta break just a little Die just a little To come alive in the right way And sometimes to get home you gotta go The hard way I wouldn't know what I'm made of If I took the easy way out (I took the easy way out) As long as it took me to get here Hard times were what I found (I found) I wouldn't know what I'm made of (I wouldn't know) If I took the easy way out (I took the easy way out) As long as it took me to get here (to get here) Hard times were what I found When the bottom hit my soul I had to climb up all alone When the night shone down my hope I had to find the light to hold You gotta break just a little Die just a little To come alive in the right way Sometimes to get hope you gotta go The hard way

I hear every word they say They tell me to stay away They say I'm better off without you, baby You've caused me nothing but pain Heartache's your middle name But seems I never see it coming I'll just admit it, baby You really drive me crazy Let go of my heart 'Cause every time you're near me I can't think clearly Defenses fall apart I keep livin' and lovin' and learnin' the hard way You're the hardest lesson, baby, of my life I keep livin' and lovin' and learnin' the hard way Someday baby, I will get it right Ohhh I never will understand Why I let you think you can Treat me any way you please, baby I guess I hope someday You'll settle down and say Give me all the love I need, baby Time and time I've found You always let me down Always ends the same way You'd think that I could see the way you're treatin' me Won't ever change I keep livin' and lovin' and learnin' the hard way You're the hardest lesson, baby, of my life I keep livin' and lovin' and learnin' the hard way Someday baby, I will get it right If I could just hold on, (just hold on) If I could just be strong,(just be strong) My heart would see it's wrong, lovin' you,(lovin' you) Lovin' you Hey, hey, hey La, la Hey Here we go I keep livin' and lovin' and learnin' the hard way You're the hardest lesson, baby, of my life I keep livin' and lovin' and learnin' the hard way Someday baby, I will get it right Livin' and lovin' the hard way You're the hardest lesson, oh baby, of my life Livin' and lovin' the hard way Someday, I will, yeah, get it right Ohhh Ohhhhh... I love you... harder way Why do I, why do I Hey, hey, hey