They Called It Grace

They tied a cross around my name Before I even learned the sound Told me guilt was just the way The holy keep their hearts unbound They said desire was disease And virtue meant to starve and choke Told me love was earned through pain And grace was just a velvet yoke But you don’t free a soul with chains And you don’t cleanse a child with shame They called it grace But it ate me alive Wrapped in white robes But its teeth were knives They said I was born with a debt in my skin But who profits from the sin I’m in? You pray for peace and preach decay Then ask me why I walked away...? They said be meek They said be pure While kings grew fat off holy war Told me doubt would lead to hell But blind faith led me there as well They promised heaven if I crawl But damned me young for standing tall Then blamed the Devil for their crime While sipping blood disguised as wine If love means silence I choose rage If God is mercy Then show the cage They called it grace But it hollowed me out Built a temple just to feed their doubt They said God sees all But turned away While the priests took flesh like praise You stitched your dogma to my breath Then asked me why I dreamt of death...? No child is born broken You taught me sin You made the scar Then asked me why I bled in your name You dressed the parasite in gold Then called it holy when it stole You fed me guilt And starved my voice Then named my silence as my choice They called it grace But it reeked of rot And I remember every lie you taught If hell is truth Then light the pyre I’ll walk in smiling through the fire No more shame No more disguise Your grace was just a mouth that bites I was never saved Just silenced But I’m not quiet anymore