(Verse 1)
They shook our hands with silver smiles
Said “just be patient, wait a while”
Built their thrones from borrowed ground
Called it peace when we bowed down
They wrote the laws in ink and wine
While we signed our lives in broken lines
Said “this is how it’s always been”
Like that ever made it right
(Pre-Chorus)
They preach real loud about the cost
Never mention who it’s lost on
(Chorus)
They wear their crowns of rust and bone
Call it gold, call it throne
Every promise soaked in blood
Every prayer bought and sold
You can dress it up in holy sound
But rot still spreads beneath the crown
When the truth comes circling ‘round
Those crowns of rust
Are coming down
(Verse 2)
They taught us fear before our names
Pointed fingers, fed the flames
Said “don’t look up, don’t look around”
While they buried proof in sacred ground
I’ve seen good men break their backs
Just to keep the wolves intact
Funny how the ones who steal
Always tell us how to kneel
(Pre-Chorus)
They say it’s fate, they say it’s law
But I’ve seen cracks in marble walls
(Chorus)
They wear their crowns of rust and bone
Call it gold, call it throne
Every promise soaked in blood
Every prayer bought and sold
You can dress it up in holy sound
But rot still spreads beneath the crown
When the truth comes circling ‘round
Those crowns of rust
Are coming down
(Bridge)
If silence is the price of peace
Then peace was never meant for me
I’d rather stand with dirt-stained hands
Than live on my knees at their command
Let the gallows hear my name
If truth and treason sound the same
(Break)
No bells ring for the honest dead
No songs for who the hunger fed
But every lie they tried to hide
Is learning how to testify
(Final Chorus)
They wear their crowns of rust and bone
Built on backs they never owned
You can’t rule long on stolen breath
Or bargain endlessly with death
When the ground gives way, when lies are found
When the poor stop staying down
Don’t act shocked when history drowns
Those crowns of rust
Are coming down
IconX
