[Verse 1] Thorn-cuts on my empty hands Rust on the ring that used to shine Banner hanging Torn in half Color drained from the royal sign Broken stairs in a hollow hall Echoed names that the stones still know All my victories turned to salt On the wind where the black flags blow [Chorus] Wear my crown of ash Let it burn into my brow I was thunder I was wrath I am only silence now (oh) If the bards still sing my name Let them sing of what I lacked All this glory All this flame Ends in dust and in the crack Of a crown of ash [Verse 2] Fields we swore would never fade Char and cinders beneath my boots Children tracing lines of smoke Where their fathers once took root I can feel their eyes like blades Every oath I bent out of fear Gold on blood A crooked scale All the ghosts drawing closer here [Chorus] Wear my crown of ash Let it burn into my brow I was thunder I was wrath I am only silence now (oh) If the bards still sing my name Let them sing of what I lacked All this glory All this flame Ends in dust and in the crack Of a crown of ash [Bridge] I would trade these shattered walls For a single honest scar I would trade a thousand wars For the son I never held The star That fell So far [Chorus] Wear my crown of ash Lay me down beneath the tower I was storm-sworn Steel and brass I was drunk on borrowed power (hey) If the bards still sing my name Let them stitch my failures back Into verses Into flames ’Til they choke on every fact That a kingdom built on pain Only ever Ever shatters In a crown of ash
