Stranger's Crown

Lyrics

[Verse 1] At nineteen, I packed my life in one worn bag An acceptance letter folded where my old name sagged I left the rooms that taught me how to disappear And took the road toward everything I’d wanted here [Pre-Chorus] I thought the worst was far behind A clean horizon, open sky Then brakes screamed through the morning air And nothing waited where I’d been [Chorus] What happens when escape becomes a different kind of chain? I woke beneath a stranger’s crown, with thunder in my veins Marble halls, immortal eyes, a name I didn’t choose A brother to the golden boy, with everything to lose [Verse 2] They called me kin beneath a ceiling painted blue A throne room full of gods who knew what I was not to do My hands were young, my face was someone else’s own And every door swung wide, then locked me in alone [Pre-Chorus] They said the mountain keeps its prize They dressed the cage in sacred light But I remember every mile That carried me away from home [Chorus] What happens when escape becomes a different kind of chain? I woke beneath a stranger’s crown, with thunder in my veins Marble halls, immortal eyes, a name I didn’t choose A brother to the golden boy, with everything to lose [Bridge] If I am more than what they made If I can still decide my fate Then let the old sky split apart I’ll keep my stolen, stubborn heart No god can call a prison grace No borrowed body owns my name [Final Chorus] I crossed one life to find another locked behind a gate But I am not the shape they chose, nor bound to serve their fate Marble halls may hold me now; the heavens may refuse I’ll carve a way through every throne And choose the name I use [Outro] The gates stand tall, the dawn burns white I take one step into the fight