Rejection Letter

I’ve been wandering round with my nose cut off
I think it was trying to spite me
And I wish I wrote you a love song, but I didn’t
The morning’s hazy

The headline read “The Whole World is Watching You Fail!”
You know I hung on every word
And I really meant to write this down, but I couldn’t
Call me crazy

If I break my lungs and turn them into mockingbirds
Would I ease up on myself?
If I break my promises and make them something better
Would you tell me I’ve done well?

I’m hearing voices and they say, “Don’t forget her”
And I will do anything I’m told
Another day, another doleful endeavor
Got a reputation to uphold

The headline left out a few minor details

If I break my lungs and turn them into fighting words
Is it something I could sell?
If I break my promises and make them something better
Would it be good for my health?

Twenty fractured ribs
Okay, I guess I deserve it
One more legion to dispel
Twenty questions, twenty silences
A rejection letter
Is this how the empire fell?