Now you've hung your hat, and you've seen the writing on the wall

Just sit back and relax, we'll tell you all about the fall
Of the greatest mind, the ol' director pulling at the strings
Who thought the fool was abel, and the wiser man was cain

It's the big, bad, clinically mad, the greatest show you've ever seen
Yeah, we're deep, down, below the ground, where only projectors gleam
A world of black and white, a place of magic putting life into your dreams
And when the credits roll, we'll be lookin' close to see
Who's behind the curtain?

Just a pencil and a dream, a modest proclamation of his goal
But no-one saw when it was spinnin' out of control
Every soul, every wish, all for one man's bliss
'Cause all the good intentions don't mean a lick
In the pursuit of it, you still wind up down below

Well, the pipes they got a-pumpin', the beat of a creator's heart
Or that's what he had told them: Just a sacrifice for art
And the walls, they turned to paper, and the ink began to fill our veins
Oh, it's easy to rationalize pain to the insane!

Oh, it's the big, bad, clinically mad, the greatest show you've ever seen

Yeah, we're deep, down, below the ground, without a hope to be redeeme

The only man who saw the ego twisted behind the scenes
Was the one who set the whole production in full swing
Who's behind the curtain?

What's the use of a hero without a monster to be slain?
And is he a man, who makes a deal that others have to pay?
Every note, every take, every drawing you make
Should be a fitting price, it's only you at stake
He made a living hell out of the wishes the maker made

Now, it's easy to see how one could be so charmed
By the draw of fame and success
But you'd think that the price would be cause for alarm
When an inky heart is all that's left! Oh!

It's the big, bad, clinically mad, the greatest show you've ever seen

Yeah, we're deep, down, below the ground, where only projectors gleam

A world of black and white, a place of magic putting life into your dreams

And when the credits roll, we'll be lookin' close to see

Oh, it's the big, bad, clinically mad, the greatest show you've ever seen

Take a wild guess who the hero of the tale is gonna be
A world of black and white, where it don't matter why you left or where you been

You gotta be a man, and take the credit for co-writing the scene
Who's behind the curtain?