Lyrics

[Verse 1]
The rhinestone boots were your idea
You said they'd change my stride
So I walked like I believed it
Till my calves ached from the lie
Mama said to smile wider
Said pretty makes them behave
But the mirror never learned me
Only memorized the stage

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[Pre-Chorus]
And when I said I felt it
They cheered before I knew
Now confidence feels rented
And I don't know what's true

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[Chorus]
Call me by my stage name
I only answer to the loud one
Told myself I'd fake it
But the mask became the mouth
Every cheer just echoes
In the hollows of my claim
So if I shine, don't trust it -
Call me by my stage name

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[Verse 2]
I sang my worth in glitter
But it peeled beneath the light
Mascara runs like headlines
When you blink too hard to fight
I wore my wins like armor
Pinned the praise onto my skin
But no one ever taught me
How to take it off again

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[Pre-Chorus 2]
The chorus comes too easy
But the verses don't align
I used to strut on instinct
Now I search between the lines

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[Chorus 2]
You only know my stage name
I only echo what you gave me
Told myself I chose this
But the script keeps going wrong
Every "yeah!" just deepens
What I never meant to claim
So if I sound like I'm certain -
You only know my stage name

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[Bridge]
Maybe power's just a costume
And I outgrew the fit
But I still bow on cue
Like the exit's part of it

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[Final Chorus - vocally fragile]
I forgot my real name
Call me what you made me
I told myself I owned it
But I'm not sure what that means
When I smile, when I wave -
Know it's not the same
You loved the act
But never asked
What's underneath my stage name