Heathen Girl

They wore the word like a warning on their tongue Said my laugh was too loud, said my mind was too young I stood at the edge where their neat lines fade With a spark in my chest and a name they made I learned the night keeps secrets, the wind keeps score Every locked little door just made me want more Call me a heathen, I don't break for your crown I was born with a thunder you can't hold down If I’m outside your circle, I’m still standing strong Wild as the truth, and I’ve been right all along Call me a heathen, let the whole room know I don't need your blessing to light up the road They wanted soft edges, a careful reply A lowered head, a smaller fire in my eyes But I found my voice in the cracks of the rain Turned every old insult into fuel for the flame Now the mirror tells me what their voices missed A woman made of starlight and defiance in her fists Call me a heathen, I don't break for your crown I was born with a thunder you can't hold down If I’m outside your circle, I’m still standing strong Wild as the truth, and I’ve been right all along Call me a heathen, let the whole room know I don't need your blessing to light up the road Let them pray for silence, let them pray I bend I’ve got every scar as a place to begin And if the gates are narrow, I’ll go my own way With my name in my mouth like a dare to say Call me a heathen, I don't break for your crown I was born with a thunder you can't hold down No, I won’t be shrinking just to fit your song I am the riot, and I’ve been here all along Call me a heathen, watch me stand and glow I don't need your blessing to light up the road I don't need your blessing to light up the road