Verse 1 I learned to pose before I learned to pray Smile for the flash, look the other way Say “I’m fine” like it’s gospel truth While I’m swallowing doubt with a $12 proof Got a closet full of almosts and could’ve-beens And a rented suit that never fits my skin Every compliment’s a counterfeit coin But I still line up just to get it thrown Pre-Chorus They love you loud when you’re breaking clean When your bleeding edge looks magazine But the second you rust, they change their tune Trade your halo in by the afternoon Chorus This is my fake gold glory Polished up for the afterparty Raise a glass to the great pretender Heart on fire, but the smile’s a lender I’m shining cheap in the midnight sun All that glitter just covers the gun I’m chasing love that won’t hold me Long live the king of fake gold glory Verse 2 I memorized what the winners say Cut my losses and dyed them brave Turned my breakdown into a brand Sold the ashes as “master plan” Now I’m trending for a tragedy That I rehearsed in the balcony Every tear gets a better view If it falls in HD for you Pre-Chorus They love you best when you almost drown When your mess looks good in a tailored gown But the second you sink for real They’re already hunting the next big deal Chorus This is my fake gold glory Photographed in purgatory Strike a pose like I don’t remember Every night I almost surrendered I’m shining cheap in the midnight sun Every victory overrun By the silence that’s holding me Long live the king of fake gold glory Bridge (Build it big, Killers-style) If I take off the crown, will you stay? If I tell you the truth, will you turn away? If I’m not the spark in your Saturday night Just a man in the dark without stage lights Would you clap for the quiet me? Or only the version you paid to see? (Drums drop, half-time feel) I don’t wanna be holy I just don’t wanna be lonely But loneliness sells better stories Than honesty ever did for me Final Chorus (Bigger / layered) This is my fake gold glory No refunds, no inventory Kiss the ring that was spray-painted Every dream I overstated I’m shining cheap in the midnight sun Every war I never won Still I bow like you own me Long live the king of— Outro (stripped down) Fake gold glory… It only shines if you don’t look closely.
