Intro (soft piano / distant vocals) Yeah… Back when life didn’t hurt yet… Back when I didn’t know what I had… (drums hit) ⸻ Verse 1 Walking them halls like I owned the place Head up high, had a smile on my face Wasn’t the cool kid, never chased fame Still everybody there knew my name No weight on my chest, no fear in my lungs Did what I wanted, young and dumb Living too fast, didn’t think about time Didn’t know life was a downhill climb ⸻ Pre-Chorus Now every memory hits like a wave Didn’t know then those were the days Funny how freedom fades away Funny how growing up comes with chains ⸻ Chorus (big / cinematic) I was a high school king Didn’t need a crown, still felt everything No fear, no strings Young and alive like I had those wings Now I’m stuck chasing dreams Trying to find what that freedom means If I could go back, I’d hold that scene Back when I was a high school king ⸻ Verse 2 (faster, intense) Now it’s stress, bills piling up Pressure building, I’m out of luck Smile getting harder to fake each day Miss when life didn’t feel this way Friends all gone, we drifted apart Time moves on but it scars your heart Funny how money don’t fix a thing I had more joy when I had nothing ⸻ Bridge → Double Time (beat strips, then rapid entry) (whisper) I miss it… (DOUBLE TIME — no breath, aggressive) Tick-tick time gone, I’m chasing it, racing it, memories breaking me Photos and trophies and old conversations are shaking and taking me Back to the days I was careless and fearless and living so dangerously Now I got weight on my back and a map full of doubt and it’s changing me How did I lose that kid in the mirror? When did the vision get blurry and weirder? Why do the good days feel farther and farther? Why do the bad ones just stick like they’re permanent features? Running the halls and we thought we were kings Laughing so loud we ain’t hearing a thing Now it’s anxiety tightening strings Funny how life put a price on my dreams God — I would trade all the money and status All of the stress and the things that I gathered Just for a minute to go back and stand In those old bleachers with time in my hands ⸻ Final Chorus (huge / choir behind) I was a high school king Didn’t need a crown, still felt everything Hands in the air, no strings Young and free like I had no ceiling Time took flight, stole my spring But that fire still burns in me Yeah that kid still lives in me Still that high school king ⸻ Outro (soft) Maybe he never left… Maybe I just forgot how to be him…

High school king