Theo Nightshade - Pawn's Protocol Lyrics

[Intro]
Stuck in the back row, watching from below
Just a pawn in their game, that's all they let me know
But even pawns can rise, change the whole damn show

[Verse 1]
Started from the bottom, mama working late
Daddy counting pennies, trying to calculate
How to keep us fed when the rent's due today
While them kings and queens sip champagne far away
Got that fire in my soul, but they say "know your place"
One square at a time, still I'm picking up the pace

[Chorus]
I'm just a pawn, but watch me move
Got my own groove, got something to prove
They thought I'd stay trapped in their rules
But even pawns can break through
(Break through, break through)

[Verse 2]
Jazz club rejection letters pile up high
"Not what we're looking for," man, that's just a lie
But every night I practice, fingers bleeding blue
Creating something raw that they can't subdue
System wants to box me in, define my worth
But this saxophone's screaming stories of rebirth

[Bridge]
Forward motion, never back
Off the beaten track
Through the cracks, through the black
Till I reach the other side
Where pawns become queens
And break free from these scenes

[Verse 3]
Grandpa told me stories of the times before
When music was the key to open every door
Now algorithms tell us what we ought to play
But my soul's got a message they can't take away
Yeah, I'm moving slow but watch me calculate
Every step I take is sealing my escape

[Chorus]
I'm just a pawn, but watch me move
Got my own groove, got something to prove
They thought I'd stay trapped in their rules
But even pawns can break through
(Break through, break through)

[Outro]
One square at a time
Breaking their design
This pawn's gonna shine
This pawn's gonna shine