Shatter the Gilded Cage

Lyrics

[Intro]
[whispered]
Breathe in the dust of the altar floor
Count every promise that locked the door
Nothing is sacred that keeps you chained
Nothing is holy that feeds on pain

[Verse 1]
[sung]
I bent my knees until the marrow bled
Swallowed the poison in the words they said
Hung my conviction on an iron cross
Calling the damage an eternal loss
You built an altar out of guilt and shame
Told me salvation meant I bore the blame
Now every pillar starts to turn to rust
I watch your heaven crumble into dust

[Chorus]
[shouted]
Break through the ribs of the holy cage
Tear down the kingdom built of quiet rage
I don't need your mercy to make me whole
I am the master of this bleeding soul
Burn every scripture that told me to bow
God isn't hiding in the rafters now

[Verse 2]
[sung]
I washed my hands in your stagnant stream
Woke up in terror from a righteous dream
They sell forgiveness with a heavy price
Trading our freedom for a sacrifice
The pulpit echoes with a hollow sound
The saints are burying their heads in ground
No lightning strikes when I finally speak
The truth is ugly and the shepherd’s weak

[Chorus]
[shouted]
Break through the ribs of the holy cage
Tear down the kingdom built of quiet rage
I don't need your mercy to make me whole
I am the master of this bleeding soul
Burn every scripture that told me to bow
God isn't hiding in the rafters now

[Bridge]
[soaring]
Let go the fear, let the fever break
Spill out the wine for your own damn sake
No golden gates waiting in the sky
Just open air when you learn to fly
We were not born to be broken down
Strip every jewel from the martyr’s crown

[Chorus]
[shouted]
Break through the ribs of the holy cage
Tear down the kingdom built of quiet rage
I don't need your mercy to make me whole
I am the master of this bleeding soul
Burn every scripture that told me to bow
God isn't hiding in the rafters now

[Outro]
[sung]
The cage is open, the lock is clean
Nothing remains of the phantom queen
[shouted]
I walk away from the burning stone
Out in the wild and completely whole
[whispered]
Out of the temple
Into the light