Paper Crown

I think I was born in the wrong century

My heart keeps wandering backwards

To castles sleeping under ivy

And girls who dance in lantern parks

I want afternoons in hidden gardens

Ink-stained fingers, worn-out books

A little cottage by the forest

Where nobody cares how weird I look

'Cause real life moves so loud and

But stories hold me gently

So take me somewhere softer

Where the rivers glow at night

Where love letters live in jacket pockets

And dragons only guard the light

I want honey cakes and ballroom songs

Pressed flowers in between the pages

A paper crown upon my head

And a life that feels enchanted

I wanna fall asleep by fireplaces

With thunder tapping at the roof

Wake up wrapped in knitted blankets

While somebody reads aloud the truth

Maybe there's a world somewhere

Where girls like me belong

Barefoot dancing through wildflower fields

Instead of learning to stay strong

And maybe it sounds childish

But I still look at the moon

Like someday a hidden doorway

Might finally let me through

Take me somewhere golden

Where the stars know all my names

Where every scar turns into stardust

And nobody has to be afraid

I don't need a perfect kingdom

Just a small and quiet place

With books stacked high beside the windows

And love waiting by the lake

A paper crown

A softer world

A chance to finally stay