Paper Crowns and Static

You built castles in the dust, little one
With crayon skies and a cardboard sun
But whispers came, a silver tongue
Promising kingdoms yet to come
Follow the crumbs, they'll lead you home
A trail of pixels, a cracked-up throne
The shadow king hums through the screen
Feeds you fables where truth's unseen
And every step you take to awaken
Leaves your heart a little more forsaken
The child's laugh fades to a ghost
As you pledge to a hollow host
Oh, the inner child slips through your hands
With every oath to the shadow king's commands
Echo chambers hum their lullabies
While you're dancing with shadows, chasing lies
The warmth you knew turns cold, so cold
Trading wonder for a crown of gold foil
Now you march to a fractured hymn
Digital prophets, faces grim
Their neon trails burn out your eyes
The king just grins
Paradise is nigh
You trace the cracks in the mirror's face
But the glass just splinters, truth erased
Your voice, once bright, now hums his tune
A marionette beneath a bloodless moon
The deeper you dig in his garden of thorns
The more your innocence cracks and warms
Each revelation steals a piece of your light
Till you're just a shadow, lost in the night
Oh, the inner child drowns in the noise
As the king's crown gleams with counterfeit poise
Echo chambers scream
You're finally free
But the chains you wear, only
you
don't see
The melody fades to a hollow ring
One more soul sold to the shadow king
Can you hear her
Beneath the static hum
A tiny voice still calls you
Come home, come
Break the algorithm's fevered spin
Let the child breathe, let her
live
again
The king's crown rusts, his trails grow thin
But your heart's map, it's still within
Will you tear his flags, let the crayon show
Or let the shadow's empire grow