[Intro] (Heavy 808 drop, eerie synth drone, distant chanting, vinyl crackle) (Stuttering vocal sample: witch please… witch please… they test the king…) (Ad-lib: if I can't pass their test, I don't deserve the crown) [Verse 1] They found me in the alley where the neon met the fog Three witches with black candles and a circle drawn in chalk The first one had a serpent coiled around her neck She said, "You think you're ready, but you haven't seen the wreck The city's full of kings who thought they owned the night Now they're just graffiti names beneath the sodium light" I looked her in the eyes, I didn't flinch, I didn't run Said, "I didn't come to beg, I came to show you what I've done" [Pre-Chorus] The second witch was laughing, the third was reading bones They said, "The dark will test you, boy, it'll strip you to the bone" Why am I so steady? Why do I hold the flame? Because I've already walked through hell and learned to love the pain [Chorus] Witch, please, witch, please, I see through the hex You're not here to break me, you're here to see what's next I've been burned, I've been buried, I've been cut down to size But I'm still standing here with fire in my eyes Witch, please, witch, please, you can cast your spell But I'm already something that was forged in hell Test me if you want, I've got nothing left to hide I'm the Phantom King, and I'm taking back the night [Verse 2] The first witch smiled and whispered, "You've got a pretty soul But pretty doesn't matter when the darkness takes control" The second witch stepped closer, her perfume smelled like rain She said, "We've watched you crawl through graveyards, we've felt your silent pain But pain without a purpose is just poison in the vein" The third witch never spoke, she just circled slow and calm Then she placed a black crown on my head and said, "You are the one" The candles flickered once, the shadows all stood still And I felt the city breathing like it finally knew my will [Pre-Chorus] The second witch was laughing, the third was reading bones They said, "The dark will test you, boy, it'll strip you to the bone" Why am I so steady? Why do I hold the flame? Because I've already walked through hell and learned to love the pain [Chorus] Witch, please, witch, please, I see through the hex You're not here to break me, you're here to see what's next I've been burned, I've been buried, I've been cut down to size But I'm still standing here with fire in my eyes Witch, please, witch, please, you can cast your spell But I'm already something that was forged in hell Test me if you want, I've got nothing left to hide I'm the Phantom King, and I'm taking back the night [Bridge] (Stripped back, eerie pads and a single heartbeat-like 808) They said the city eats the weak and spits them out in ash But I was born inside the flame, I'm used to living fast They asked me what I'm chasing, I said, "Everything you fear" They said, "Then take the crown, boy, but the ghosts will always hear" I said, "Let them listen, let them whisper, let them plot and plan I'm the ghost that didn't die, I'm the only one who can" [Final Chorus] (Full energy, gang vocals on "witch, please," guitars and synths colliding) Witch, please, witch, please, I see through the hex You're not here to break me, you're here to see what's next I've been burned, I've been buried, I've been cut down to size But I'm still standing here with fire in my eyes Witch, please, witch, please, you can cast your spell But I'm already something that was forged in hell Test me if you want, I've got nothing left to hide I'm the Phantom King, and I'm taking back the night [Outro] (Distant chanting fades, stuttering vocal sample: witch please… he passed… the king…) (One final 808 hit, then silence)
