[Verse 1]
The gold on their shoulders is paid for in ashes
They smile on the screen while they sharpen their knives
They pledge us their oaths like rehearsed incantations
They drink from the well that they poisoned for us
[Chorus]
Your throne is a scaffold and the rope has a number
Your crown is corroded and it cuts through your skin
We see every stain that you hide under velvet
This rust in your veins is the kingdom you built
[Verse 2]
They auction our futures in smoke-filled committee rooms
They bless every war then they bill us the dead
They count every vote like a chip in their casino
They gamble our lives but they never place theirs
[Chorus]
Your throne is a scaffold and the rope has a number
Your crown is corroded and it cuts through your skin
We see every stain that you hide under velvet
This rust in your veins is the kingdom you built
[Bridge]
The flags on their windows are painted to blind us
The laws that they brandish are chains in disguise
The fear that they sell is a cage with a mirror
The face that we see when it closes is theirs
[Chorus]
Your throne is a scaffold and the rope has a number
Your crown is corroded and it cuts through your skin
We see every stain that you hide under velvet
This rust in your veins is the kingdom you built