After The Applause

Intro (breath, tape hiss, distant hum)

Verse 1

They left the roses on the floor

Lipstick on the dressing room door

All the mirrors learned my name

But none of them look the same

I wore the crown, it cut me deep

Gold gets heavy when you keep

Every promise, every lie

Every version of “goodbye”

Pre-Chorus

I thought winning would feel loud

But it sounds like nothing now

Chorus

After the applause

I’m still here breathing

No more gods

No more kneeling

I don’t need a throne or war

To know what I’m standing for

After the applause

I choose me

Verse 2

The girl I was still walks with me

Barefoot, scared, but finally free

She doesn’t ask to be believed

She just wants somewhere to sleep

I don’t blame the crowd or lights

They only loved the fight

But I’m learning how to stay

When nobody calls my name

Pre-Chorus

I don’t need to be adored

To feel worth coming home

Chorus

After the applause

I’m still breathing

No more saints

No more demons

I don’t need a scarlet score

To prove what I’ve survived before

After the applause

I choose me

Bridge (soft, almost spoken)

If this is peace

It’s smaller than I thought

But it fits in my chest

And it doesn’t hurt

Final Chorus (stripped, then gentle swell)

After the applause

I’m still human

Still in love

Still in ruin

But I don’t trade my quiet nights

For borrowed crowns or borrowed light

After the applause

I stay

Outro

No curtain call

Just me

And that’s enough.