Intro
Grandfather kept a ledger bound in leather, page by page
Written down in pencil what a man could earn at half his wage
Some men inherit money, some inherit chains
I inherited the mathematics of surviving on the strain
Verse
Started in the warehouse, four in the morning, loading trucks
Supervisor's nephew got the foreman role, I got the brush
Swept the same floor fifteen years, watched the paint wear thin
Every scuff a shift, every corner where the light wore thin
Made enough to keep the apartment, not enough to leave
Learned to read a ledger like my grandfather, learned to grieve
Quiet-like, the way a man grieves what he never owned
A pension plan that crumbled, promises in stone
Built the company's foundation with my spine and hands
Watched the younger men move up while I drew the same plans
No complaint carved in my face, just the weight that settles deep
The kind of tired that don't leave you, even when you sleep
Taught my son the numbers, taught him how to calculate
That some men build the ladder while they're standing at the gate
Chorus
I wear the crown the wolf wears, heavy and unseen
Built from every sacrifice, from knowing what it means
To break your back for breadcrumbs while the feast goes on
I wear the crown the wolf wears, and I keep moving on
Verse
Twenty years, my son got out, made it to the city
Got a job that paid in digits, got a name that carried grit
Called me up one evening, voice all thick with shame
Said Dad I'm making what you made in less than half the strain
Told him that's the purpose, that's the whole design
That your burden breaks the ground so the next one climbs
He wept into the phone line, said I owe you everything
I said you owe the ledger, you just fill the next blank page
Now I'm teaching grandsons how the mathematics work
How a man can carry nothing and still know his worth
The weight don't disappear, son, it just transfers hands
From the father to the builder, from the builder to the land
Verse
Warehouse closed down three years back, moved the work overseas
Left the floor all vacant, left the men on their knees
Got a pension that was quarter what they promised me
But I got something else they can't liquidate or steal
Got a family that knows how to carry what is real
Got a name that means endurance, got a scar that's sealed
When the wolf walks through the kingdom wearing nothing but its will
Chorus
I wear the crown the wolf wears, heavy and unseen
Built from every sacrifice, from knowing what it means
To break your back for breadcrumbs while the feast goes on
I wear the crown the wolf wears, and I keep moving on
Outro
The ledger's got a new hand now, the pages turning still
Some debts can't be collected, but they shape us, and they will
I wear the crown the wolf wears
