[Verse 1] The birthday cake leaned hard to the left The candles quit before I made a wish Your cousin wore my paper crown And spilled the punch beside the fish The room kept singing half a beat late A balloon escaped through the kitchen door I found my coat beneath three jackets And didn’t wait around for more [Pre-Chorus] Now the bus sighs at the curb Like it knows how these nights go I smooth the bent gold points And let the windows take the show [Chorus] Last bus, crown on crooked Still my night, still my say Missed the toast, lost a button But I’m taking my birthday away Last bus, chin up, ticket One more stop, then I’m free If the party got it wrong tonight The evening still belongs to me [Verse 2] A schoolkid eyes the crown and grins His mother says, “Don’t stare, Malcolm” I give them both a royal nod Then nearly drop my paper pass My phone says someone sent “u up?” I type, “The king is on his way” The driver checks the mirror twice And hides a smile he’ll deny all day [Pre-Chorus] The rain makes little medals On the glass beside my face I straighten one bent point again And grant myself some space [Chorus] Last bus, crown on crooked Still my night, still my say Missed the toast, lost a button But I’m taking my birthday away Last bus, chin up, ticket One more stop, then I’m free If the party got it wrong tonight The evening still belongs to me [Bridge] No grand entrance No perfect speech Just my name in the dark glass Close enough to reach I can keep the cake untouched I can let the whole thing be This small ridiculous crown Fits the part I choose for me [Final Chorus] Last bus, crown on crooked Still my night, still my say Missed the toast, lost a button But I’m taking my birthday away Last bus, chin up, ticket One more stop, then I’m free Let the whole world miss the candles The evening still belongs to me Last bus, crown on crooked And I wear it home with pride If the party got it wrong tonight I can make the rest mine [Outro] The doors sigh open The rain lets up I step down slowly Still wearing the crown
