Jungle or Zoo

Verse 1

I woke up in a cage with polished steel bars,

They feed me routine and sell me my scars,

Crowds clap politely when I shuffle through,

But I feel the wild calling, louder than the zoo.

Verse 2

Some wear a number, some wear a tie,

Some paint their smiles, some never ask why,

But I see the vines curling through the cracks,

They whisper freedom in green-gold stacks.

[Pre-Chorus]

Do you want a cage where the walls don’t bend

Or a road through the trees that may never end

[Chorus]

Jungle or zoo, tell me where you stand,

Cage-fed comfort or a bleeding hand,

One’s all safe, the other’s all true,

You can’t have both—so which one are you

AND ARE YOU BRAVE ENOUGH TO CHOOSE

Verse 3

The jungle’s messy, it stains your skin,

It bites and it breaks, but it lets you begin,

No feeding hours, no velvet rope,

Just tooth-and-claw lessons in fire and hope.

Verse 4

I’ve seen lions pacing with deadened eyes,

Dreaming of skies they can’t recognize,

And monkeys that juggle for a keeper’s grin,

Trading their chaos for a quiet sin.

Verse 5

The jungle folk stumble, they bleed in the rain,

But they drink from rivers unshackled by chains,

They howl at the moon with a crooked grin,

Because wild mistakes are better than penned-in wins.

[Pre-Chorus]

Are you living safe with your soul asleep

Or chasing danger where the rivers run deep

[Chorus]

Jungle or zoo, tell me where you stand,

Cage-fed comfort or a bleeding hand,

One’s all safe, the other’s all true,

You can’t have both—so which one are you

AND ARE YOU BRAVE ENOUGH TO CHOOSE

Verse 6

The zookeepers whisper, “Stay safe, stay tame,

Life is a contract, survival’s a game.”

But cages of comfort will rust with time,

And the bars turn brittle like nursery rhymes.

Verse 7

The jungle’s alive with a thousand screams,

Some are nightmares, some are dreams,

Every vine’s a ladder, every root’s a snare,

But at least you know your own soul’s there.

Verse 8

I watched a zebra paint stripes on his past,

Telling himself the zoo would last,

But the rain washed off his borrowed skin,

And the jungle pulled him right back in.

[Pre-Chorus]

Is your heartbeat faint in a scripted show

Or wild and raw where the predators go

[Chorus]

Jungle or zoo, tell me where you stand,

Cage-fed comfort or a bleeding hand,

One’s all safe, the other’s all true,

You can’t have both—so which one are you

AND ARE YOU BRAVE ENOUGH TO CHOOSE

[Bridge]

The wild keeps knocking with a steady beat,

It waits for the moment you leave your seat.

The choice is burning, it cuts like fire,

Do you want a cage or your own desire

Verse 9

The zoo sells tickets, the jungle sells truth,

The first steals your age, the other your youth,

But youth comes back when the blood runs free,

In the wild, in the dark, in the untamed sea.

Verse 10

I tasted the jungle, it burned my tongue,

Like whiskey and ash when the night was young,

But it beat the flavor of stale bread lines,

And the echo of claps for rehearsed designs.

[Pre-Chorus]

Would you trade your roar for a gentle hum

Or risk it all when the storm drums come

[Chorus]

Jungle or zoo, tell me where you stand,

Cage-fed comfort or a bleeding hand,

One’s all safe, the other’s all true,

You can’t have both—so which one are you

AND ARE YOU BRAVE ENOUGH TO CHOOSE

Verse 11

In the zoo you exist, in the jungle you live,

One takes your voice, the other forgives,

The question remains as the torchlight glows:

Which side of the bars do you wanna know

Verse 12

So I tore at the lock with bleeding hands,

Fell into the mud, no master’s commands,

I may not survive, but at least I choose—

Better jungle scars than zoo-born blues.

[Pre-Chorus]

If freedom hurts more, would you still pursue

Or keep on existing in a painted zoo

[Chorus]

Jungle or zoo, tell me where you stand,

Cage-fed comfort or a bleeding hand,

One’s all safe, the other’s all true,

You can’t have both—so which one are you

AND ARE YOU BRAVE ENOUGH TO CHOOSE

[Outro]

Jungle or zoo, that’s the only fight,

Cages in daylight or freedom at night.

Exist in the zoo or live in the wild,

The choice is yours—be beast or child.