[Verse 1] You liked the song before you knew my face Before you checked the room, before you found my place You called it honest, called it something new Then read my name and changed what it could do A heart turns cold behind a little screen A compliment gets weighed against the scene They count the follows, rank the ones who stand And shake the right hand with the right hand [Pre-Chorus] I watch the circle pass the coin One praise for yours, one praise for mine A little praise, a little shine A debt dressed up as a good time [Chorus] Hear the song before the name See the art before the face If you love it, let it stay Don’t let rank decide its place I don’t need your crown or circle I don’t need your borrowed flame Hear the song before the name Let the music make its claim [Verse 2] The comments land like well-rehearsed applause The same three words obey the same old laws You lift a king, a queen, a chosen few Then wait for them to come and lift you too Support becomes a bill that comes around A public promise waiting to be found Nobody asks what moved them at the start They trade approval till it sounds like art [Pre-Chorus] I see the smiles, I hear the cheer I feel the bargain underneath The more they need to play the part The less they say what they believe [Chorus] Hear the song before the name See the art before the face If you love it, let it stay Don’t let rank decide its place I don’t need your crown or circle I don’t need your borrowed flame Hear the song before the name Let the music make its claim [Bridge] What is the point? What is the end game? Are we here for the music Or just for the name? When admiration becomes currency Truth becomes expensive When every voice is paying back The honest voice gets silenced I’m the one outside the gate I won’t bow to enter in Call me difficult, call me strange I’d rather lose than counterfeit [Final Chorus] Hear the song before the name See the art before the face Let your ears decide the weight Let no ladder take its place I don’t need your crown or circle I don’t need to be ordained Hear the song before the name Let the music make its claim Hear the song before the name See the art before the face If the room goes quiet, fine I can still make something true I was never asking in I was never built to kneel Hear the song before the name Tell me, do you love the music, or the world that tells you what to feel? [Outro] Hear the song before the name Let the music make its claim [End] ©Quantum Soul 2026 All rights reserved
