Swamps of Despair

[Verse 1] My fairy tale did curdle in my hand A sugar throne turned rust beneath the sand The unicorns, once meek, now bare their teeth With raven jaws, they feast on hope beneath The rainbow bled in acid down the lane Each color wore a wound, each bright a stain And every vow I held from childlike years Wore hope’s own dress, then split to hidden fears [Pre-Chorus] O cruel moon, what court is this I’ve found? A nursery drowned, with thorns for sacred ground I bear these swamps, these fens, these stones inside And grief leans close where once my courage tried [Chorus] How can I live this life? How can I live this life? You ask of me to rise When all my heaven burned alive How can I live this life? How can I live this life? My luck-dragons died before my breath I learned to kiss the jaws of death [Verse 2] Like Alice, I did fall through mirrors black Yet mine grew claws, and bared a crueler track The tea was ash, the grin was split with dread A court of rot where every tender word bled They took the gold from every bedtime tale And fed it to the wolves in bridal veil I walk with crows beneath my breastbone now Their wings beat slow like verdicts over vows [Pre-Chorus] O hear me, saints, if any saints remain I have no spring; my root is forged in pain The swamp is mine, it silted up my sky And still you ask me how I don’t ask why [Chorus] How can I live this life? How can I live this life? You ask of me to rise When all my heaven burned alive How can I live this life? How can I live this life? My luck-dragons died before my breath I learned to kiss the jaws of death [Bridge] Kyrie, break these ribs of brine Let some hard star through the slime My child-heart was sold for ash My name was carved in shattered glass [Breakdown] I was promised gold I was handed dread I was born in the shadow Of the thing they fed How can you ask me? How can you ask that? When my whole bright kingdom Turned and spat me back [Final Chorus] How can I live this life? How can I live this life? You ask of me to rise When all my heaven burned alive How can I live this life? How can I live this life? My luck-dragons died before my breath I learned to kiss the jaws of death