Strings of Control
Everybody loves you when they see what's ahead,
Suddenly they hear every word that you said.
Yesterday invisible, tomorrow instead— Everybody's got an idea for the person I'll
be. (shhh)
BUT WHOSE PUPPET WILL I BE?
When everybody wants a different piece of me?
Fortune and fame looked beautiful to see— But when they pull the
strings, WILL ANYBODY SEE ME FOR ME?
That's exactly what scares me.
Manager says change this,
audience says that, One says lose the smile,
one says bring it back.
Dress like this, talk like that,
Everybody loves authentic till authentic doesn't match.
Money says hurry, fame says stay,
Numbers say whatever keeps attention my way.
Smile for the camera,
give 'em something to play— Funny how freedom starts looking like a
cage. I wanted doors open,
never strings attached, Wanted bigger dreams,
never wearing a mask.
If becoming somebody means burying my past,
Tell me when success became another man's task.
(ahhhh) I already am.
What's it gonna cost?
...Which piece?
Take the picture, take the quote,
take a piece for the feed,
Take the version of myself that your numbers seem to need.
But you don't get the roots just because you like the tree,
And you don't get the man just because you paid to see.
I can change, I can grow,
that's a choice I can make,
But there's difference between evolution and fake.
I'll take fortune, take fame,
take whatever I create— But I won't trade the driver just to
upgrade the brakes. Let the room get bigger,
let the spotlight burn,
Let me make mistakes,
let me live and learn.
If the whole world watches every corner I turn,
I'll give 'em who I am—not the person they purchased.
Want the fortune? (YES!) Want the fame? (MAYBE!)
Sell your soul? (HELL NO!) Then who controls the strings?
Me.
I WON'T BE YOUR PUPPET—
YOU'LL HAVE TO TAKE ME AS ME!
Fortune and fame can come along for the ride,
But they don't get the wheel
and they don't get inside.
If everybody wants a different piece of me— I'LL KEEP ENOUGH TO
STILL KNOW WHO I SEE!
Still me.