Intro (soft, almost tired)
They see the shine.
They don’t see the fracture.
⸻
Hook
Everybody want the throne
Till they feel the splinters
Gold look warm from a distance
Up close it’s winter
Every crown sit crooked
On a head that’s been bowed
You don’t rise without losing
Pieces you won’t talk about
You can call it glory now
But it came with a sound
That echo in empty rooms
That’s the cost of a crown
⸻
Verse 1
I remember when ambition
Felt like oxygen
Now it feel like armor
Pressed against my skin
I chased horizons
Thinking they were freedom
Never knew the summit
Would be lonelier than the season
I traded sleep for vision
Silence for composure
Smiled through erosion
Just to carry my composure
I became dependable
Which means I couldn’t break
Learned how to swallow doubt
Before it reached my face
They clap for the victories
But they don’t sit in the doubt
Don’t see the nights I questioned
What this climb was about
You can’t ask for legacy
Without burying ease
You can’t ask for stature
Without bending your knees
⸻
Hook
Everybody want the throne
Till they feel the splinters
Gold look warm from a distance
Up close it’s winter
Every crown sit crooked
On a head that’s been bowed
You don’t rise without losing
Pieces you won’t talk about
You can call it glory now
But it came with a sound
That echo in empty rooms
That’s the cost of a crown
⸻
Verse 2
I learned that leadership
Means absorbing the fracture
Being the steady voice
While your own heart scatter
It means holding grief
Without making it public
Carrying expectation
Without asking for comfort
It means watching people
Measure you by your peak
While you measure yourself
By the promises you keep
It means missing moments
You’ll never retrieve
Being physically present
But emotionally fatigued
I thought greatness was volume
Turns out it’s restraint
Turns out it’s forgiveness
Even when you feel faint
It’s choosing integrity
When shortcuts appear
It’s staying composed
When you’re drowning in fear
⸻
Bridge (low, emotional)
I didn’t want applause
I wanted impact
But impact leaves dents
You don’t snap back
I didn’t want power
I wanted protection
But protection require
More sacrifice than affection
⸻
Final Hook (quieter, heavier)
Everybody want the throne
Till they feel the splinters
Gold look warm from a distance
Up close it’s winter
Every crown sit crooked
On a head that’s been bowed
You don’t rise without losing
Pieces you won’t talk about
They see the height I reached
They don’t see the ground
They don’t hear the silence
That’s the cost of a crown
⸻
Outro (spoken)
The crown don’t make you heavy.
The responsibility does.
