Prisoner to my own tribunal, judge and e

[Intro] [Distant orchestral strings fade in] [Bass drops] [Verse 1] Prisoner to my own tribunal, judge and executioner Self-imposed sentence, bars built from what I'm refusing to confront Architect of cages, blueprints drawn in hesitation Foundation poured from all the moves I never made Chained to the post like a dog that forgot it could bite Muzzled by the fear of what happens when I show teeth Mirror tactics—enemy's familiar, shares my face Combat training wasted when the opponent lives inside your chest Every warrior knows the hardest battle's internal Sword rusts in the sheath while I debate the drawing Samurai code corrupted by doubt's infection Honor means nothing if you're too paralyzed to stand Calculate the risk until the moment passes by Strategic mind becomes a prison, not an advantage Overthinking's quicksand, swallowing my footwork While I'm plotting seventeen moves, life's already checked my king [Verse 2] Shackles made of "what if," weighted down with "maybe later" Iron forged from every time I swallowed what I meant to say The lock's mechanism simple but my hands keep shaking Key's been in my pocket but I've convinced myself it's lost Breaking free requires fracturing who I constructed This shelter became a tomb, protection turned to burial Claustrophobic in a cell I mortared brick by brick Exit always visible but legs won't remember how to move Warrior's paradox—trained to endure, forgot to advance Survival mode permanent, thriving feels like foreign language They say pressure makes diamonds but it's crushing my structure Fault lines spiderwebbing through the mask I carved from stone Metamorphosis demands destruction of the former shell Butterfly rhetoric but I'm afraid of the dissolving Cocoon's familiar darkness versus flight's exposure Would rather suffocate than face what's waiting in the open air [Bridge] The breaking point approaches Not collapse—but breakthrough Bone must fracture before it heals stronger Scar tissue's tougher than original flesh [Verse 3] Agony of the in-between, halfway out the trap One foot forward, one still rooted in the comfort of confinement Withdrawal from your own limitations Detox from the poison you've been drinking voluntary No dramatic moment, no cinematic revelation Just the slow, excruciating choice repeated daily Climbing out a pit you dug while everyone was sleeping Inch by inch, grip slipping, but the surface getting closer Legacy can't be built from the safety of paralysis Death approaches whether I move or stay frozen Mortality's the clock that ticks regardless of my readiness So what's there left to lose that time won't take eventually? The shackles don't explode—they weaken with each test Pull against the restraints until the metal fatigues Not a single heroic moment but a thousand quiet rebellions Against the voice that says stay small, stay safe, stay still, stay silent [Outro] Freedom's on the other side of this discomfort Resurrection requires dying to the old form The cage door's been open Just had to stop believing in the bars [Bas