[Verse 1] We built these walls before we knew their names Brick by brick we learned to play the game A thousand voices telling us to stay And somewhere underneath, we looked away We call it safety, we call it home We call it wisdom when we're told to follow But every road that we were taught to take Leads back around to where we started from [Pre-Chorus] And I can feel them in the silence Holding on beneath my skin Invisible and everlasting Whispering, “Don't begin” [Chorus] These are the strongholds Keeping us standing still These are the strongholds Built from the things we kill Walls that we carry Long after they've disappeared These are the strongholds We never knew we feared [Verse 2] We inherited the shape of yesterday Mistook the cage for somewhere we could stay Every question buried underneath Every dream surrendered quietly We watch the world through windows made of fear Protecting everything we hold so dear But somewhere past the boundaries of the known There's something calling us beyond our own [Pre-Chorus] And I can feel them in the silence Holding on beneath my skin Invisible and everlasting Whispering, “Don't begin” [Chorus] These are the strongholds Keeping us standing still These are the strongholds Built from the things we try to kill Walls that we carry Long after they've disappeared These are the strongholds We never knew were here [Bridge] What if the walls were never solid? What if the locks were never closed? What if the only thing that held us Was the fear of letting go? And if we step beyond the boundary If we leave the map behind Will we find a world that's waiting Or just another state of mind? [Final Chorus] These are the strongholds Keeping us standing still These are the strongholds swallowed with a blue pill Walls that we carry Long after they've disappeared These are the strongholds We never knew were here [Outro] Maybe the walls are only echoes Maybe the chains are only sound Maybe the ground beneath our feet Was never holding us down Maybe the walls are only echoes... Maybe we were never bound...
