I'm Afraid I'll Shatter

Verse 1 Born in thirteen sixty-eight A child crowned much too soon France on fire, crown too heavy Growing up beneath its doom They taught me names of wars and saints Before they taught me how to dream I learned to wear a kingdom's weight Before I knew what peace could mean Verse 2 Thirteen ninety-two, the road Summer burning through the pines Steel rang out, a servant stumbled Then something fractured in my mind I turned my sword on loyal men Certain they had come for me When the silence finally settled I woke to whispered disbelief Pre-Chorus They covered mirrors from my sight As if cracks could disappear Every prayer became another chain Wrapped around my fear Chorus I AM AFRAID I'LL SHATTER DON'T TOUCH ME — I'M NOT WHO I WAS THEY WRAPPED ME UP IN LAYERS THICK TO KEEP MY BODY SAFE FROM DUST I AM AFRAID I'LL SHATTER THEY CALL ME MAD, THEY CALL ME LOST BUT EVEN KINGS ARE MADE OF FLESH AND EVERYTHING CAN BREAK Verse 3 Some believed my bones were glass Or maybe that's the tale they told I feared one touch could break me clean Like stained cathedral windows cold I failed to know the ones I loved My queen became a stranger's face My children blurred like fading dreams My own reflection lost its place Pre-Chorus 2 While illness stole the years away Others ruled beneath my seal Armagnac and Burgundy Fought for crowns that weren't yet theirs Chorus I AM AFRAID I'LL SHATTER HANDLE ME LIKE SACRED STONE PADDED ROOMS AND SILENT HALLS A KING WHO NEVER FELT AT HOME I AM AFRAID I'LL SHATTER THE THRONE IS COLDER THAN THE FLOOR I HEAR THE WAR OUTSIDE MY HEAD AND CAN'T REMEMBER WHAT IT'S FOR Bridge (spoken) They say madness is a sickness But no one asks what fed it A child king A kingdom at war A crown that never fit They say I believed I was made of glass Maybe I only knew That enough weight Will break Anyone Final Chorus I AM AFRAID I'LL SHATTER AND THEY'LL SWEEP ME FROM THE FLOOR WRITE MY NAME IN FOOTNOTES CALL IT "MADNESS," NOTHING MORE I AM AFRAID I'LL SHATTER NOT BECAUSE I'M WEAK OR SMALL BUT BECAUSE A MAN CAN ONLY HOLD SO MUCH BEFORE HE FALLS Outro Fourteen twenty-two. The king is gone. France still burns. The crown remains.