[NO VOCAL INTRO] [VERSE 1] Black ribbon pulled tight, laces running up my feet. I learned young how to balance between beautiful and mean. They taught me how to land soft, how to turn without a sound. But somewhere between the barre and life, I learned to stand my ground. [PRE-CHORUS] One step delicate, next one leaves a mark. I can dance beneath the spotlight— I just learned to love the dark. [CHORUS] Black swan in combat boots, grace with a little attitude. I can pirouette through trouble, then walk straight through the truth. Silk and steel, soft and bruised, pretty never meant I couldn't move. Black swan in combat boots— you don't get to choose which side of me you get to lose. [VERSE 2] Still remember every eight-count, every blister, every fall. How you make the landing effortless when it wasn't light at all. Now the satin's packed away, but the balance never left. I traded perfect little slippers for a pair built for the mess. [PRE-CHORUS] One step delicate, next one shakes the floor. I still know how to move with grace— I just don't dance for them anymore. [CHORUS] Black swan in combat boots, grace with a little attitude. I can pirouette through trouble, then walk straight through the truth. Silk and steel, soft and bruised, pretty never meant I couldn't move. Black swan in combat boots— you don't get to choose which side of me you get to lose. [BRIDGE] Don't confuse my balance with standing perfectly still. Don't confuse a softer movement with the absence of a will. I can bend without surrender. I can fall and still come through. There was always something stronger underneath those ballet shoes. [FINAL CHORUS] Black swan in combat boots, still got rhythm, still got proof. Every scar became a measure, every fall became a move. Silk and steel, old and new, both of them were always true. Black swan in combat boots— I never lost the dancer. I just changed the shoes.
