[Intro - jaunty piano, intimate contralto] Sweetheart, keep your shoulders back And never beg a door to close Grace is cheap when times are kind It earns its keep when no one knows If someone breaks a promise Don't waste tears asking why Some lessons need a velvet glove Some need a longer night [Verse 1 - dark swing, sly phrasing] I learned the city young enough To know a smile could hide a blade Every favor grew a shadow Every debt demanded paid Men twice my age bought confidence And mistook kindness for consent I learned to count the silver first And leave before regret was spent By fourteen I had seen enough Of gentlemen who loved command They called the streets uncivilized I learned to make them understand [Pre-Chorus - tightening rhythm] Keep your voice low Keep your ledger clean Never threaten what you mean If a name belongs in memory Darling, keep it there [Chorus - distorted guitars, brass stabs, cracked belt] House rules House rules Read them before you bleed Smile across the table But never confuse that smile with need Left cheek Right cheek Then show them to the door Keep your hands beside your plate And keep them off what's mine House rules House rules No mercy dressed as fate I didn't build this filthy world I only learned what it would take [Verse 2 - playful cabaret over walking bass] A man once came from Brooklyn To explain what widows owe He said my husband's name was his Because a woman couldn't know I fixed his collar Poured his drink Asked what his business might be worth By Friday half his office worked for me By Monday none of it was his He came for dinner Thursday His wife arrived at eight I kissed her once I poured her wine And told her not to wait [Pre-Chorus - muted trumpet, rising menace] Never shout when someone lies Volume cheapens good advice The sweetest sentence in the room Can still remove a man [Chorus - full grunge swing] House rules House rules Read them before you bleed Smile across the table But never confuse that smile with need Left cheek Right cheek Then show them to the door Keep your hands beside your plate And keep them off what's mine House rules House rules No mercy dressed as fate I didn't build this filthy world I only learned what it would take [Verse 3 - music thins, addressing Vittoria] Vittoria, come and sit with me I heard your little deal went through The senator signed The books look clean The men are very proud of you Your brother passed his final test I called him just to tell him so He has the gift for staying useful Even when the knives come out And you, my darling, have the nerve The hunger And the family face But wanting everything I built Does not yet mean you take my place [Bridge - half time, guitars widening] I gave you language Gave you doors Gave you the name they whisper first I taught you when to offer wine And when to make the silence hurt So if you want this chair one day Learn what inheritance demands You don't become the hand in charge By reaching out with empty hands [Breakdown - stripped piano and feedback] A boy once lied His father paid His mother packed before the dawn A friend betrayed another friend I danced with what he left behind Don't call it cruelty Cruelty wastes time This is memory with good posture This is consequence in line [Final Chorus - ferocious full band] House rules House rules Read them before you bleed A mother's love can fill a room Her patience has a smaller reach Left cheek Right cheek Then show them to the door You may borrow my good graces You may never borrow more House rules House rules The empire knows my name I didn't build this filthy world But I learned to own the frame House rules House rules Keep smiling when they stare If you want what I survived to hold Then prove that you belong there [Outro - piano, distant guitar feedback] Vittoria, darling Come here now You almost made me proud today Almost is a dangerous word You'll learn Or you'll get out of the way
