Shining Capital

[Verse 1]
He left his uniform in a locked-up trunk
Put on a fancy suit and a polished grin
From the war room dust to the marble floor
He learned to bow and he learned to win

Old medals hid in a drawer somewhere
While the cameras flashed on his painted name
Now the men with gold and the men with guns
All shake a little when he walks through the gate

[Pre-Chorus]
And the settlers line up in the morning rain
With empty hands and eyes like stone
They heard he could make the borders stay
Heard he could make the hunger go

[Chorus]
Shine on, shining Capital
He wears the crown so tall
Shine on, shining Capital
Now the mighty one makes us crawl
Even the rich ones tremble
Even the poor ones kneel
Shine on, shining Capital
With a smile that cuts like steel

[Verse 2]
He raises a glass in the council hall
Says the dust will turn to bread
But every road has a soldier at the end
And every prayer gets left unread

He signs his name with a careful hand
On the paper, on the land, on the door
Then he turns to the crowd with a tired old face
Like he’s seen this all before

[Pre-Chorus]
And the settlers count their rations slow
While the bells ring clean and bright
They call it peace, they call it law
But it feels like a locked-up night

[Chorus]
Shine on, shining Capital
He wears the crown so tall
Shine on, shining Capital
Now the mighty one makes us crawl
Even the rich ones tremble
Even the poor ones kneel
Shine on, shining Capital
With a smile that cuts like steel

[Bridge]
Maybe he started in the dirt like them
Maybe he earned every scar
But power tastes like a different wine
When you drink from a broken jar

And the flag keeps waving over stone
Over bone, over bread, over prayer
He became the man the whole world feared
Now nobody feels safe there

[Chorus]
Shine on, shining Capital
He wears the crown so tall
Shine on, shining Capital
Now the mighty one makes us crawl
Even the rich ones tremble
Even the poor ones kneel
Shine on, shining Capital
With a smile that cuts like steel