The Master Student

Verse 1

Scraped knuckles

Heavy desks

Cold hallways smelling like bleach

Stale air

Bells ring

Sharp pencils

I am carving my name

Deeper

Into the wood

Deep

Deeper

Lost in the lecture

Found in the margins

Drawing maps to get out

Get out

Way out

Chorus

This is the lesson

This is the lesson

I learned it the hard way

I learned it the hard way

Nothing is free

Nothing is free

Clock on the wall

Screaming at me

Drop

Nothing is free

Nothing is free

Verse 2

Black ink

Stained palms

Flipping through the empty pages

Empty heads

Empty hearts

Building a wall

Brick

By

Heavy brick

Teachers talking at me

Preachers talking at me

Leaders talking at me

They don't know the truth

The truth

My truth

Chorus

This is the lesson

This is the lesson

I learned it the hard way

I learned it the hard way

Nothing is free

Nothing is free

Clock on the wall

Screaming at me

Drop

Nothing is free

Nothing is free

Bridge

Run from the system

Run from the rules

Run from the cycle

No more tests

No more grades

No more lies

I am the master

I am the student

I am the school

Chorus

This is the lesson

This is the lesson

I learned it the hard way

I learned it the hard way

Nothing is free

Nothing is free

Clock on the wall

Screaming at me

Drop

Nothing is free

Nothing is free

Nothing is free

Screaming at me