I got to pick from the outset which challenge that I chose
Every step I took was matched- they stomped down on my toes
Leaving home was a bit farfetched, as far as leaving ghosts goes
The living faint, the pallets paint, the open boxes close
Don’t you dare go alone; dangerous things hide in the wild
All the flames that were thrown are just a leer away from burning, ‘cause we’re playing with fire
Running into you in such a place as this is rare
I’ll throw sand into your eyes so that you will miss this glare
But I’m paralysed with fear because when you recover you’ll discover
The missing number hidden under the one who rests in heavy slumber
Wake him up, wake him up, so he can go back to the mountains where he grew up

My life spent living by the handbook
A hundred and fifty-one ways to lose my soul
By catching all the others; ‘gotta catch ‘em all!’
It became my master one day

You’re a sickly, coughing petty thief, some would call a backwards snake
You dig a pit, but then you trigger every trap you make
Smokescreen your disguise, I’ll be surprised when we realise you were fake
The thunder shocks, you’re throwing rocks, you’re hit by an earthquake
You have caught my attention; playing hard to get has left me paying the price
Do I need a third dimension, or will simply making eye-contact with you suffice?
Gambling away your life will cost you more than just your time

My life spent living by the handbook
A hundred and fifty-one ways to lose my soul
By catching all the others; ‘gotta catch ‘em all!’
It became my master one day

Every town I went to mixed in colours like an artist
But I was never content to just win- I had to climb the fastest
Then I found that at the summit is where the ground plateau’d
So I took another route; now I’m on Victory Road
I thought I was the champion, but I was late
No matter how I flailed about, I took your bait
I was hooked, and then I sunk down in a half-confused state
But now I’ve had my coffee, and I feel great

You cut into my chest so you could see my heart and what I felt
Please don’t fly away, or else the ice it’s in will never melt
Surfing different shores with you may help me find new kinds of wealth
The strength I have in giving up restores this fossil back to health
Then with a flash you brought me into the light-
Screened me from darkness and started to fight
Your power planted within me a seed that leeched the life
From my metronome and its poisoned beat and set me right
I went back home to where you were waiting for me
You wrapped me in your arms and said, “Son, why are you running away?
Withdraw from me no longer; we’ll hit the gym together. I’ll be your leader.”

Later that night, you threw a great ball, to celebrate my return, the child prodigal
The party was a hit, but something critical was missing
The type of man I’d evolved from was wheezing and hissing
I attacked him there, one-on-one; I focused all my energy and went up a level
We danced with swords until I’d won; I took him down, released him—he went back to the devil
At last I had escaped from this hypnosis that absorbed my dreams.

My life spent living by the handbook
A hundred and fifty-one ways to lose my soul
By catching all the others; ‘gotta catch ‘em all!’
It became my master one day
I finally got away safely
I finally got away safely