I folded the thunder into my coat
Left the lightning at the door
Some crowns are made of borrowed noise
They shake but they’re hollow at the core

I watched desire light a match
Just to feel the heat appear
But fire that begs for attention
Never lasts the year

Every impulse wants a throne
Every spark wants to be flame
But the quiet hand on the wheel
Always arrives the same

The highest rule is ruling yourself
Letting storms pass through
A heart that bows to every rush
Forgets what it can do
Stillness climbs where shouting falls
Free will wears the crown
To stand untouched by passing heat
Is how repute comes around

Passion pounds on every window
Wants headlines, wants a scene
But the air is thin at higher floors
No room for anything obscene

Scandal loves a careless step
A spill, a word too loud
But restraint walks straight through mud
And never breaks the sound

They chase respect like a runaway train
Wonder why it won’t stay
I stayed where nothing pulled me hard
And it came my way

The highest rule is ruling yourself
Letting storms pass through
A soul enslaved by appetite
Can’t aim for something true
Stillness climbs where shouting falls
Free will wears the crown
The shortest road back to good name
Is not falling down

Free will isn’t fireworks
It’s a steady, patient flame
Saying no with such calm force
The world just calls it grace

Not cold, not empty, not afraid
Just sovereign, clear, and clean
Passion taught to know its place
Becomes strength unseen

The highest rule is ruling yourself
Above desire’s sway
Those ruled by fire never rise
They burn their climb away
Still water keeps its surface true
Still hands don’t spill the wine
I mastered what was inside me first
And left the noise behind

I keep my passions close, but named
Silk-bound, not denied
A mind that governs its own fire
Walks scandal-free—and high