Pretty Until I Speak

[ Lyrics ]

Pretty 'til I speak — then the room goes still.

Walk in like a highlight, hair combed just right,
smile on a loop, everything's light.
You nod at my outfit, skip past my name,
I'm décor with a pulse, just playing the game.
You say, 'Oh, she’s sweet' — like that’s all I am,
never ask how I built it or mapped out the plan.
I used to let it slide, let the comments just sting,
'Who knew brains came in faces like *that*?' — can you imagine that thing? 

But I’ve got a thesis on how the light bends,
a list of the lies that success won’t end.
So go ahead, bet I can’t flip the script —
watch the silence when doubt starts to shift.

Pretty 'til I speak — watch the eyes recalibrate,
suddenly listenin’ like it’s breaking news late.
Pretty 'til I speak — then they lean in to hear,
the voice, not the cheekbones, the truth, not the veneer.

Saw you at the panel, front row, smirking, cool,
when I dropped the stats, your jaw hit the stool.
I named every loophole, every backhanded clause,
not from reading magazines — I wrote the cause.
You said, 'Didn’t you model?' — I said, 'Yeah, for a while,
but I’ve been writing the rules since I was twenty and mild.'
Now you quote *my* quote like it’s something you knew —
funny how wisdom hits different when it's coming from you.

I don’t need the spotlight, I just need a straight shot,
don’t box me in velvet — I came to pop locks.
So assume if you want, but I’ll outpace the myth,
every syllable cuts through the 'just another pretty' shift.

Pretty 'til I speak — watch the eyes recalibrate,
suddenly listenin’ like it’s breaking news late.
Pretty 'til I speak — then they lean in to hear,
the voice, not the cheekbones, the truth, not the veneer.

I’ve worn the silence like a tailored coat,
let you think I floated, coasted, remote.
But the quiet was loading — not surrender, not fear —
just the calm before I reveal what’s right here.

Pretty 'til I speak — watch the room recalibrate,
now they scribble my lines ‘cause the *content* has weight.
Pretty 'til I speak — now they see the full team:
me, not the mirage, not the dream, but the machine.

Pretty 'til I speak…

Then they finally… see.