Late nights, cold hands, ink stains on my desk
Numbers on a page, they tell me I'm the best
Red marks on my skin, 'cause I scratched too hard
Gotta get ahead, can't fall apart
Eyes burn, but I read through the blur
If I slow down, someone takes my turn
Tired bones, but I’m still on my feet
Second place ain't made for me
Oh, they say, "You're doing fine, take a break sometime"
But they don't see the ghosts that I keep inside
Every grade’s a promise, every test’s a fight
If I let it go, who am I?
I wanna be the rank one, the only name they write
Carve my name into the top, like I own the sky
But it’s lonely at the summit, ain't no hand to hold
Just a shadow in the mirror whispering, "You’re getting old"
Another gold star, another empty win
Mama says she's proud, but she don’t know where I’ve been
Clock ticking down, but I don’t feel time
Only see the numbers, gotta make 'em mine
If I sleep, do I lose?
If I stop, am I through?
I don’t know what I’d be
If I wasn’t chasing me
I wanna be the rank one, the only name they write
Carve my name into the top, like I own the sky
But it’s lonely at the summit, ain't no hand to hold
Just a shadow in the mirror whispering, "You’re getting old"
Oh, I’m so tired, but I can’t let go
I built my whole world out of test results
And if I’m not the best, then what am I?
Just another ghost in a suit and tie