Lyrics

They don’t miss you.
They miss your lack of boundaries.
They miss the version of you
that made their life easier
by making yours smaller.

They said I changed like it was a crime
Like I should apologize for taking back my spine
They loved me best when I couldn’t say no
When I was bleeding quietly just to keep the glow

I was the angel when I stayed in pain
The perfect girl with a pretty little chain
But the second I walked through the fire awake
They called me cruel for refusing to break

So paint me black, rewrite my name
Make me the monster in your little game
If losing access makes me wrong
Then I was your villain all along

I won’t kneel for the story you made
I wear the crown, I sharpen the blade

If I’m the villain, let me wear the crown
I only became evil when I stopped laying down
If loving myself makes the story turn black
Then write me in fire, I’m not coming back

This is my villain era
My throne in the smoke
I’m done being holy
For people who choke
On the truth when it speaks
On the girl they can’t own
This is my villain era
And I reign alone

They wanted soft, but they meant obedient
Wanted my love, but only when convenient
Wanted my light, but not my voice
Wanted my loyalty without my choice

I used to explain until my mouth went dry
Begging to be seen by a blind man’s eye
Now I let silence do what words could not
You can keep the version of me you lost

I’m not cold, I’m finally clear
I’m not cruel, I just disappeared
I’m not heartless, I’m not stone
I just stopped calling cages home

So make me bad, make me mean
Make me the shadow behind every scene
If my freedom ruins your view
Maybe the villain was never who you knew

I won’t burn for the role you gave
I rise from the script, I walk from the grave

If I’m the villain, let me wear the crown
I only became evil when I stopped laying down
If loving myself makes the story turn black
Then write me in fire, I’m not coming back

This is my villain era
My throne in the smoke
I’m done being holy
For people who choke
On the truth when it speaks
On the girl they can’t own
This is my villain era
And I reign alone

Call me selfish
Call me vain
Call me wicked
Say my name

Call me ruthless
Call me changed
I got free
And they called it strange

Notice how they only call you difficult
when you stop being easy to use.

Notice how they only call you selfish
when your generosity no longer includes self-betrayal.

Notice how they only call you changed
when they can no longer control
which parts of you are allowed to live.

I buried the good girl
Under velvet and ash
She gave them forever
They gave nothing back

I kissed her goodbye
But I carry her flame
She wasn’t weak
She was tired of the game

Now I walk with my shadows
Like queens in the hall
Not afraid of the darkness
Not begging at all

If I’m the villain, let me wear the crown
I only became evil when I stopped laying down
If loving myself makes the story turn black
Then write me in fire, I’m not coming back

This is my villain era
My throne in the smoke
I’m done being holy
For people who choke
On the truth when it speaks
On the girl they can’t own
This is my villain era
And I reign alone

I was never the villain.
I was the woman who survived the story
and refused to die at the end of it.

Villain era
Wear the crown
I reign alone