Sold my soul to the highest bidder

Sold My Soul to the Highest Bidder Verse 1 Started pure in the basement, notebook full of fire Dreams bigger than the skyline, heart still on the wire Then the doors cracked open, lights hit different Contracts on the table, smiles lookin’ sinister They said “sign here, kid, we gon’ make you a star” Dollar signs flashin’, conscience left in the car I traded my truth for a chain and a deal Now the mirror don’t recognize the man that I feel Chorus Sold my soul to the highest bidder Cash on the table, no time to consider Gave up the real for the gold and the glitter Now I’m rich in the pockets but the spirit got thinner Sold my soul to the highest bidder Can’t buy it back, even if I get richer Every night the same question gets bitter Was the price worth the life of a winner? Verse 2 Studio sessions turn into late-night confessions Ghostwriters in the booth, I just add the aggression Radio spins while the old me starves Fans chant the hooks but don’t know the scars Managers pushin’, “more flex, less feel” So I flex on the ‘gram while the real stays sealed Champagne taste with a conscience on mute Countin’ the blessings that came with the loot Verse 3 Mama used to say “keep your word and your name” Now I’m dodgin’ her calls when the guilt starts to claim Friends from the block look at me different Same blood, different blood, success made the distance I bought the house, bought the cars, bought the silence Still can’t sleep through the noise of the violence Inside my chest where the old fire lived Now it’s just receipts and the deals that I did Chorus Sold my soul to the highest bidder Cash on the table, no time to consider Gave up the real for the gold and the glitter Now I’m rich in the pockets but the spirit got thinner Sold my soul to the highest bidder Can’t buy it back, even if I get richer Every night the same question gets bitter Was the price worth the life of a winner? Verse 4 Awards on the shelf but the applause feel empty Crowd scream my name while I’m missin’ the entry Of the kid who used to spit just to breathe Now every bar calculated, every move for the green Industry parties full of snakes in designer Everybody clappin’ while they sharpen the finer Points of the deal that keep me on a leash Freedom was the cost, success was the feast Verse 5 Sometimes I wonder if I still got a chance To crawl back to the booth with pure intent in my stance Burn the contracts, let the old me speak But the money talks louder and the silence is weak So I keep sellin’ pieces, day after day Highest bidder always got somethin’ to say If you see me on stage with the lights in my eyes Just know that the soul behind the smile already died