I breathe. I breathe and wait. The bells still ring at half past four Same as before the square went quiet Bread feels hard, the wine feels thin I count my steps like always did They said I sang too plainly then That I named the cracks out loud So they brought me to a marble room And asked me once to bow I did not beg I did not curse I watched his hands instead He took my voice but not the tune Not the pull that keeps its time Every word I never said Still stands upright inside my spine He can keep his crown and knives I still know when I am true He took my voice But not the tune The market hums like nothing changed Fish on ice, a child counts coins Someone hums an old refrain Does not know where it was born I mouth the lines I used to sing Feel the air move anyway The body learns new ways to speak When the mouth is ruled by law I still breathe I still hear The pitch stays clear He took my voice but not the tune Not the pull that keeps its time Every word I never said Still stands upright inside my spine He can keep his crown and knives I still know when I am true He took my voice But not the tune Well I guess that is how it goes Kings fear simple things A voice saying what it means A room that listens I tap the table, count the beats There is music even here He took my voice but not the tune It is quieter now, that is true But it lives in how I stand In what I will not undo If the song never leaves my chest If it only moves me through He took my voice But not the tune The bells still ring at half past four I still know why.
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