[Instrumental] [Intro] I used to look up, see the names on the walls Read the little gold plaque, stand there feeling small But the ones who can teach you how to “make it”? They’re usually already sitting in the front row, talking about it [Main Theme] If you can do it, you’ve probably got a seat already A badge on your coat, a door that opens easy And those painters they quote like saints in a museum Got treated like a mess when they were still in the room, yeah Now everybody wants to call them a genius After the rent was due, after the blood got finished Funny how the crowd gets loud when it’s safe After the work’s done and the risk is in the grave So I’m not waiting for somebody to hand me a reason Not chasing a stamp, not counting up seasons I’ll make my own rules, keep the good parts rough If it’s supposed to be fun, I’m taking that seriously enough [Development] I don’t need a jury in a clean white hallway Telling me which one of my days was the hard way I’ve seen too many hands turn a life into a story Sand off the edges, call the whole thing glory Let them keep their lists and their polished opinions Their retroactive praise and museum conditions I’m over here with a cheap brush, two chords, and a grin Messy on purpose, let the real thing in If the gate’s already crowded with people who made it Then why am I standing outside trying to wait there? I’d rather be laughing while I’m still in the middle Making something half-serious, half of it fiddle No need to be correct, no need to be chosen No need to look like I’ve got it all frozen I want the late-night version, the half-baked spark The part that only works when nobody marks it [Outro] So let the famous get famous twice Let the dead get praised for the price I’m fine in the room with my own small noise Doing it my way because that’s the point Self-made, self-paid, or maybe neither Still showing up just to see what comes after If it’s gonna be work, then make it play That’s the only way I’m doing it anyway [Instrumental] [orchestral layers fade, returning to solo piano and soft sustained cellos] [final D minor chord on piano with long reverb tail]
