N8 - Under the Smile Lyrics

Look alive, and look cautious, you see often
Stares are piercing like daggers bury you in a coffin
Spent all of my day outside seeing Japan
Being immersed in the culture doing all that I can
Locals quite nice, they quite polite, smiles bright
Do they have reservations or something kept out of sight
You start to cast doubts, it's been aroused
People are withholding something they don't want to say out loud
With tatemae they have a face, it isn't real
That's the part they show to the world, not what they really feel
Leads to a toxic culture of lies, lacking honesty
Just to look good or be a pacifist no hostility
Tension between what they expect and what's their true desire
And they struggle to keep the balance but it's required
They have to stay agreeable when at work
They love you on the outside but inside you are the worst
They love you who's the tourist but they want you to leave
They like you cause you're precious but they're grinding their teeth
So tell me visitor do you trust their smile
Is their friendliness sincere or hiding something more vile
So tell me visitor do you trust their smile
Is their friendliness sincere or hiding something more vile
And don't mistake politeness as real kindness
Some of them will keep you oblivious and real blinded
Cause niceness, politeness, and kindness
Three different things in this culture it be so heinous
Facial expressions they pick and choose, non-verbal cues
Subtle change in tone or averted gaze, leave you confused
Am I being approved or disapproved by what I've done
But I'll never know they'll never tell me am I being shunned
A real facade, a tragic fraud, is no one real
Keeping appearances fake emotions are the shady deal
How do people here make genuine connections
When harmony's important there's no room for contentions
Emphasis on the collective experience
Is it strength or weakness well it's kind of precarious
Keeping me on edge with all the masks that you wear
I have shown myself this vulnerable so give me your stare
Our interaction ends with mutual respect
But I'm curious what's under your kindness I can't detect
So tell me visitor do you trust their smile
Is their friendliness sincere or hiding something more vile
So tell me visitor do you trust their smile
Is their friendliness sincere or hiding something more vile
They'll say "oh, sumimasen", like, "scuse me", like, very politely like
Make sure I have space on the train, but, they stare a lot
They could be judging, they could be just like saying oh wow, she looks nice
They're not gonna overstep their boundaries, you know what I mean
They're being polite, but you don't know what they really think of you
Yeah, exactly, it's hard to tell what they really think
Being a foreigner here, you're gonna get stared at, good looks or bad looks
You never really know, but you just know that, they're just all gonna be nice no matter what