[Verse 1 – harsh] Welcome to the zoo without bars Where the cages are drawn in chalk Where the lions pace in silence And the keepers love to talk They say “Look how free you are” While they measure out your ground Every step beyond the circle Brings the tranquilizer sound I learned the edges of my prison By the sting inside my neck Every time I roared too loudly They would call it disrespect [Chorus – harsh] This is the zoo without bars Where the fences live in your head Where they feed you just enough hope To keep you half-fed Every roar is a rebellion Every breath a scar You don’t need iron When the cage is who you are [Verse 2 – harsh] The elephants remember But they never say it loud The wolves pretend they’re loyal To survive inside the crowd The handlers wear soft gloves And carry sharper tools You don’t see the leash tighten Until you start to move [Breakdown] Circle. Shrink. Circle. Shrink. Good animals don’t think. [Bridge – clean layered] If I step beyond the chalk Will the sky collapse? Or was it always just a story To keep me on my back? [Final Chorus – massive] This was the zoo without bars Where obedience was art Where they trained me to applaud The hands that split my heart But I learned the shape of cages And I memorized the dark One day the lion leaves And takes the teeth apart
