Paper Crowns

Oh-oh-oh — we were kings in paper crowns

Oh-oh-oh —

ruling nothing, running loud

Two kinds of broke in a borrowed car

Splitting one dream like a candy bar

We crowned ourselves at the traffic light

Kings of nowhere — but the nowhere was ours that night

And they can laugh at what we never owned

We built a throne out of being young

We were kings in paper crowns

Ruling nothing, running loud

Holding gold that wasn't gold

But it shined enough to hold Oh-oh-oh

(we wore our paper crowns) Oh-oh-oh

(and never took them off)

Then the years came in like a landlord does

Took the walls but couldn't take the was

'Cause what we were,

no bank can hold

Cheap paper —

but the memory's gold

Long live the broke and the brave

Long live the nights we never saved

We were kings in paper crowns

Ruling nothing, running loud

Holding gold that wasn't gold But it shined enough to hold Oh-oh-oh

— we wore our paper crowns Oh-oh-oh — and never took them

off