[Verse 1] We built a kingdom in a rented room Cheap gold paint and a busted moon Made ourselves kings of a Friday night With nowhere to go and nowhere to hide You wore confidence like armor plating I wore jokes to keep from breaking Everybody thought we had it made They never saw the mess behind the parade [Pre-Hook] We looked so good from far away Like nothing underneath could ever cave But you leaned in close and told me “Kings get scared too, babe” [Hook] We’re wearing paper crowns Acting like they won’t come down Building castles out of promises That barely make a sound Paper crowns Bent but never hitting the ground You can keep your perfect kingdom I just want you here right now If the whole thing falls apart Let it fall around us I don’t need a throne Just your heart And these paper crowns [Verse 2] We learned young how to play pretend Smile for strangers, lie to friends Say we’re fine when the walls get thin Then lock the door and let the truth come in You told me you were tired of being golden Tired of carrying what nobody noticed So I took that crown right off your head And kissed you like you had nothing left to defend [Pre-Hook] Maybe we were never royalty Maybe that was never what we needed Maybe being loved while falling apart Is better than looking undefeated [Hook] We’re wearing paper crowns Acting like they won’t come down Building castles out of promises That barely make a sound Paper crowns Bent but never hitting the ground You can keep your perfect kingdom I just want you here right now If the whole thing falls apart Let it fall around us I don’t need a throne Just your heart And these paper crowns [Bridge] Let the glitter wash away Let the pretty picture fade Let them see the cracks we covered Let them see the mess we made I don’t want forever If forever means pretending I’d rather have one honest night Than a picture-perfect ending So tear the banners down Let the whole damn palace drown We were never kings We were just boys Trying not to let each other down [Final Hook] We’re wearing paper crowns And I don’t care who sees them now Every crease and every tear Just proves we made it somehow Paper crowns Maybe that’s enough for now No more acting like we’re fearless No more trying to make them proud If the whole thing falls apart Let it fall around us I don’t need a throne I’ve got your heart And these paper crowns [Outro] Cheap gold Bent edges Two boys Still standing.
