Princess Upbringing

They gave me a name too heavy to hold, Told me to curtsy to things I couldn't see, I blessed the ugly toad in the road, And the toad blessed something back into me. I've scrubbed the same stone seventeen years, I've thanked the witch for the sting of her broom, I've held my tongue through a tower of tears, And sung to the spider who shared my room. Sometimes I dream the castle is dreaming me, That I'm a thought it keeps by mistake, If I stop moving, will I still be here, Or vanish like wishes I didn’t make? Mother says: "Shine, but not too bright," Father says: "Speak, but know when to bend," The fairy says: "Child, you must swallow the night, And still have light to spare at the end." [Chorus] I don't know what I'm becoming, Something gold, something strange, I hear the distant kingdom humming— Are they building me a crown… or a cage? I kissed the frog, I fed the crow, I gave my bread to the ghost at the gate, I learned the things I wasn't supposed to know, And loved the ones I was told to hate. Now the crown floats above my head, Waiting to see what I'll be— I hope I'm the queen they need, not dread, I hope I'm still me.