The lights rise, the game begins Laughter rings through painted grins They bow, they praise, they call my name A kingdom built on shifting fame I move like clockwork, poised and grand A scripted man in sinking sand The ink still dries, the stage still turns But every bridge behind me burns Lines delivered, roles well-played Yet ghosts still haunt the deals I've made Every vow, a fragile thread Unraveling the life I've bled All the world's a stage, and I perform A hollow king inside the storm The court drinks deep, the jesters cheer While I drown beneath the chandeliers All the world's a stage, and I was cast But the script was never meant to last I held the crown, I played my part Now watch me bleed beneath the art The velvet throne is cold tonight Gold leaf crumbles in candlelight They toast my name with borrowed breath Then whisper wagers on my death The boardroom hums, the pages turn Each word a match, each deal will burn The paper castles fold like lace While I fade silent from the chase My mask is heavy, my lines ring false I've lost the rhythm of this waltz Behind these eyes, a truth emerges The actor dies as the man resurges All the world's a stage, and I perform A hollow king inside the storm The court drinks deep, the jesters cheer While I drown beneath the chandeliers All the world's a stage, and I was cast But the script was never meant to last I held the crown, I played my part Now watch me bleed beneath the art Cue the final bow, cue the fall The ink has dried, the quill is stalled The ghosts of deals, the debts unpaid Applaud the wreckage that I made I called it duty, called it fate I called it duty, called it fate They called it madness far too late A borrowed kingdom, a fleeting reign Was it mine, or just a stage? All the world's a stage, I played my role A fragile script I can't control Let them feast, let them cheer I'll disappear, but leave them here All the world's a stage, and I was cast But I won't repeat the scenes long past No crown, no throne, no final act Just a man who won't look back No monologues, no grand refrain Just echoes lost in falling rain They still applaud, they still deceive But I have learned—I take my leave
