I never asked for the flame in my hand But in the dark it keeps pointing my way Every eye shines with loaded demand Every silence praying I stay I didn’t rise to tower above I stepped up when the floor gave way While crowns were sold for a counterfeit love I chose the cost instead of the pay They say “you lead” like it’s something I took Like ambition wrote my name But I was the one who never looked When others started calling it fame I’ve watched men break for a piece of control Watched friends rot trying to shine I keep my hands in the blood and the coal And my mouth stitched tight to the line I don’t stand above you I stand in the breach I bleed so the path Is something you can reach This isn’t power, it’s gravity Every promise cuts like a knife I carry the weight you lean on I pay with my peace for your life Every laugh’s got a limit now Every bond’s got a scar Can’t be just one of you anymore No matter how close we are Friendship blurs into discipline Care turns sharp as a steel edge People learn distance the moment You’re trusted to steer them from the ledge I draw lines where none existed And they damn me for drawing them straight Funny how guidance feels like betrayal When it’s themselves they actually hate I don’t stand above you I walk first through hell If you make it out breathing You’ll never see how close I fell I miss being wrong without consequence Miss being weak without eyes Now every crack in my confidence Becomes a fracture they memorize Strength is quiet, strength is alone Strength never asks to be seen It just keeps its hands on the wheel While the road ahead is never clean I stepped up when you stepped back I stayed when the spine gave way You call it lonely I call it holding the day No crown No throne Just the burden of trust And smoke billowing through the rust I don’t stand above you I burn at the front If I’m standing alone It’s because someone must This isn’t pride, it’s penalty For giving a damn enough I carry the weight you lean on This is the cost This is the weight This is the trust Still breathing Still here Still bearing the burden So you don’t have to fear
