Counselor Collapse

[Intro] [low vocal register] I was the brain in the back room Whispers on the war map My words moved armies Now my name tastes like ash [Verse 1] They called me counsel Sharp as a sword unsheathed Kings leaned in when I mumbled I barely had to breathe Plans on parchment Every arrow Every gate I could bend a battlefield With a pause and a raised face I saw his son turn I saw that hungry grin I saw the throne start tilting He said "Come Let’s scheme a win" So I switched tables Same talent Different crown Same game Figured wisdom was neutral Just a torch Not the flame But the night was long And the rumors ran He chose another voice He chose another man That cut deeper Than any drawn blade What am I If my insight Can be so easily replaced? [Chorus] Ahithophel Who are you when your counsel fails? When the echo of your name Is just dust on the scales Ahithophel You built empires with your breath Now the silence in your chest Feels heavier than death [Verse 2] I replay the moment Room crowded Heart small He praised my plan in public Then turned Changed it all Said "We’ll wait We’ll gather" Softer strategy Softer tone They cheered his safer thinking Left my brilliance alone Was I wrong Or just unwanted? Is my wisdom just a mask? Was I serving holy justice Or just addicted to the task? I can see every outcome Every move Every cost Except this hollow hallway Where I’m the one who’s lost Turned my horse toward home Old vineyard Quiet gate Dust on my father’s doorway Rust on the iron weight I set my house in order Folded robes Signed the land Left instructions at the table Shaking ink from my hand [Pre-Chorus] If my gift is my identity And the gift’s not needed now Do I vanish with my relevance Do I fade Do I bow? I can solve a thousand problems But not this empty self The one equation I can’t answer Is: who am I without my help [Chorus] Ahithophel Who are you when your counsel fails? When the echo of your name Is just dust on the scales Ahithophel You built empires with your breath Now the silence in your chest Feels heavier than death [Bridge] [whispered vocals] Rope in the rafters Knot in my throat Heart like a courtroom Waiting on a vote Did I betray my first king Or betray my own soul Was I chasing perfect strategy Or control Control Control [louder] I can see the future clearly That’s the curse That’s the sting I can chart the line from ceiling beam To the end of everything No fanfare No farewell Just a creak Just a sway The man who mapped out nations Can’t map himself a way [Chorus] Ahithophel Who are you when your counsel fails? When the echo of your name Is just dust on the scales Ahithophel You built empires with your breath Now the silence in your chest Feels heavier than death [Outro] [low vocal register Fading] Once a whisper shook a kingdom Now a whisper ends a life In the stillness after footsteps Only questions Only night