[Chorus] Rule the self Let the false fall away Rule the self Let the false fall away [Verse 1] Some mornings wear no dagger, they just hold you to the flame And bring you face to face with every weakness by its name Not every “no” was loss disguised, some denials were your grace Sometimes the kindest hand of all’s the one that locks the gate [Bridge] The discipline you practice when no eyes are fixed on you Becomes the hidden architecture everything walks through Rule the self Let the false fall away Rule the self Let the false fall away [Verse 2] No tyrant rules more quietly than appetite unchecked It smiles and calls itself your friend while cashing self-respect So master first the little things: the tongue, the hand, the plate For empires fall by inches first, then call collapse their fate [Bridge] The discipline you practice when no eyes are fixed on you Becomes the hidden architecture everything walks through [Chorus] Rule the self Let the false fall away Rule the self Let the false fall away [Verse 3] The crowd will teach a hungry soul to worship being seen To trade a crown of inward law for borrowed glint and sheen So test each urge that pounds like truth and begs to dominate The man who needs the least applause stands closest to the great [Chorus] Rule the self Let the false fall away Rule the self Let the false fall away [Verse 4] The old men knew that suffering could sand a spirit clean And time will strip the gaudy lie from nearly everything So do not ask for lighter days, but shoulders fit for weight The strongest roots are grown in dark, far underneath the great [Final Chorus] Rule the self Let the false fall away Rule the self Let the true remain [Final Chorus] Rule the self Let the false fall away Rule the self And bear the weight with grace
