Shadow crowns

All my life, I was the shadow they forgot

The ghost they stepped over, the name they never spoke

The monster they made out of lies and whispers

The outcast they left bleeding in the cold

You poisoned my veins and laughed when I coughed

You buried me deep, thinking I’d stay lost

And I believed you when you said I was nothing

I let the hate eat me alive from the inside out

But now I’m older, and I see the truth

I was dying ‘cause I believed in you

You were the knife, I was the skin

And I let you cut me again and again

People will break you, crush what you love

Steal your soul and call it tough

They’ll never feel the ash in my lungs

They’ll never choke on the words I bit down

So keep your hate — I’ve swallowed worse

I’ve buried dreams and dug my own hearse

You will never fight alone in this war

We’ll bleed together, but we’ll heal no more

I smoke all the time just to get away

Chasing that high, that rush, that fade

It’s the only time the noise in my head

Slows down enough for me to breathe again

Every loss I’ve carried is tattooed on my bones

Every friend turned stranger is a weight I’ve grown

I’ve worn smiles like graves, flowers on the lid

Pretending I was fine while my insides slid

But now I’m older, and I see the truth

You didn’t save me — I crawled through the wounds

You were the fire, I was the fuel

And I let you use me, I played the fool

People will break you, crush what you love

Steal your soul and call it tough

They’ll never feel the ash in my lungs

They’ll never choke on the words I bit down

So keep your hate — I’ve swallowed worse

I’ve buried dreams and dug my own hearse

You will never fight alone in this war

We’ll bleed together, but we’ll heal no more

I’ve lost more than you could count in a lifetime

Held the hands of the dying, knowing I couldn’t save them

Buried pieces of myself I’ll never find again

And you want me to forgive?

You want me to move on?

No.

I’ll wear this rage like armor

I’ll wear these scars like a crown

Because pain is the only thing you gave me that stayed

People will break you, crush what you love

Steal your soul and call it tough

They’ll never feel the ash in my lungs

They’ll never choke on the words I bit down

So keep your hate — I’ve swallowed worse

I’ve buried dreams and dug my own hearse

You will never fight alone in this war

We’ll bleed together, but we’ll heal no more