You held me close
Fingers crossed behind my back
Said the world outside was fiction
While you mapped out every track
Called it protection

Velvet on the cage
Painted it like destiny
Slowly drew the curtain
Said this was meant to be

Low light
Steady voice
No air in my chest
Here it comes again

It wasn't love
It was control
A perfect script I didn't know
You pulled the strings
I played the role
Standing ovations for a ghost

It wasn't love
It was design
You stole the truth and fed me lines
Center stage
But never mine
You smiled and called it paradise

Crumbs served on golden plates
Marketed as my rise
I almost believed your mercy
Almost bought your lies

You built a plastic kingdom
Placed a hollow crown
Spotlight burned right through me
While you watched me drown

Changed the mask
Rewrote the scene
But nothing ever changed

I was bleeding for the crowd
While you arranged the pain

It wasn't love
It was control
A perfect script I didn't know
You pulled the strings
I played the role
Standing ovations for a ghost

Somewhere I learned applause
Before I learned to choose
Clapping for my silence
Too afraid to move

The cage had no bars
Just glitter and distraction
You named it freedom
It was staged interaction
I followed every signal
Became your reflection

Cut the wires
Hear them fall
No more echo
No more call

Your empire was paper thin
And now I see through everything

It wasn't love
It was control
Now I reclaim the role
Tear the script
Escape the mold
This is where I take my soul

No more lines
No disguise
No more God behind your eyes

I see the ropes
Inside my hands
Rip your script
I choose where I stand

The curtain rises
You never owned me
When the light hit my face
I walked away
Close the velvet curtain