PLAY THE GAME

You hand me the dice with a painted smile
And point to the board that stretches for miles
You talk of the winners, the glitter, the fame
You just say, “Darling, go play the game”
But every move feels like a debt to be paid
In the theater of choices that others have made
So, I’ll play the game with a heart made of stone
In a house that you built, but it never feels home
I’ll move all my pieces the way that you said
While the fire in my soul is quietly dead
Yeah, I’ll play your game
But don’t you see the cost?
With every win, a little more of me
Is lost
I wear the mask so perfectly designed to hide
The tremble in this tired mind
I parrot the lines from your golden script
With a smile that feels like my skin’s being ripped
The crowd is cheering, they’re chanting my name
But it’s just an echo inside of the game
So, I’ll play the game with a heart made of stone
In a house that you built, but it never feels home
I’ll move all my pieces the way that you say
While the fire in my soul is quietly dead
Yeah, I’ll play your game
But don’t you see the cost?
With every win, a little more of me
Is lost
Is this all there is?
Just a hollow prize?
The light’s gone from your sympathetic eyes
I’m tearing the board
I’m breaking the chain
I am done
I am done with this exquisite pain
No more
I won’t play the game with a heart that can’t feel
This borrowed life is no longer real
I’m throwing all my pieces
I’m burning the frame
I am calling the end to this beautiful shame
I won’t play your game
I am claiming my name
And I’m walking through ashes, but I’m breathing in flames
The board is clear now
The silent dawn
My move
My rules
My song