To build on the momentum, Benjamin began uploading new songs to his YouTube channel at a rapid clip and eventually earned a viral hit with “I Built a Friend” and a deal with Atlantic Records.
Benjamin connects to listeners by incorporating using his life struggles to tell stories and give meaning to his songs. You can see this in “Let Me Down Slowly,” “Paper Crown,” “I Built a Friend,” “Death of a Hero,” and “If We Have Each Other.”
Benjamin released his first studio album mixtape, Narrated for You on November 16, 2018, and released his first studio album, These Two Windows on May 29, 2020
Paper Crown
Alec Benjamin Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A tattered gown, and her kingdom of ash
She walks alone, can never look back
The story of a queen whose castle has fallen to the sea
She'll make it out, but she's never the same
She's lookin' down, at the scars that remain
But you hold your ground, though your kingdoms in flames
Cause it's the story of a queen who's castle has fallen to the sea
When all she needs, and all she wants, and all she finds
When all she is, and ever was, is compromised
Cause there's no one to love her
You built your walls too high
And there's no one to love you when you build your walls too high
She's looking out, from the war that's inside
She's screaming out, cause no one survived
But when you're all alone, you wait and you hide
Cause it's the story of a queen whose castle has fallen to the sea
Knowing, there's no one who will be a king that will come and save his queen
When all she needs, and all she wants, and all she finds
When all she is, and ever was, is compromised
Cause there's no one to love her
You built your walls too high
And there's no one to love you when you build your walls too high
There is no one, who is strong enough, to save your love
There's no fairytale, There's no fairytale
When all she needs, and all she wants, and all she finds
When all she is, and ever was, is compromised
Cause there's no one to love her
You built your walls too high
And there's no one to love you when you trap yourself inside
The lyrics of Alec Benjamin's song "Paper Crown" tell the story of a fallen queen who is struggling to pick up the pieces of her life after her kingdom has crumbled. The title "Paper Crown" represents the fragility of her reign, and her "heart made of glass" is a metaphor for her vulnerability. Her "tattered gown" and "kingdom of ash" symbolize the destruction that has befallen her. Despite her loneliness and the scars that remain, she refuses to give up and fights to save herself. She acknowledges that there is no king who will come to rescue her because she is the only one who can save herself.
The chorus of the song emphasizes the theme of self-love and acceptance. The queen realizes that she cannot rely on anyone but herself to rebuild her life, and she must learn to love herself despite her flaws. The lines "there's no one to love her/you built your walls too high/and there's no one to love you when you build your walls too high" suggest that the queen and others like her have created barriers to protect themselves, but these walls have isolated them from the love and support they need.
Line by Line Meaning
A paper crown, and a heart made of glass
She has a fragile identity as a queen with a paper crown and a heart made of glass.
A tattered gown, and her kingdom of ash
The queen's kingdom is in ruins which is reflected by her wearing a tattered gown.
She walks alone, can never look back
The queen can't look back at her past and must move forward alone.
The story of a queen whose castle has fallen to the sea
The song is about a queen whose castle has been destroyed and is now underwater.
She'll make it out, but she's never the same
Even though the queen will survive, she will never be the same after the traumatic experience.
She's lookin' down, at the scars that remain
The queen is reflective of the aftermath of the destruction of her kingdom.
But you hold your ground, though your kingdoms in flames
Despite the adversity, the queen remains strong and resilient.
Knowing there's no one who will be a king that will come and save his queen
The queen knows there is no one who will come and save her.
When all she needs, and all she wants, and all she finds
The queen is compromised as she has lost everything she needs, wants and finds.
Cause there's no one to love her
The queen feels unloved and alone.
You built your walls too high
The queen has isolated herself and built walls to protect herself.
She's looking out, from the war that's inside
The queen is battling with herself internally.
She's screaming out, cause no one survived
The queen is overwhelmed with grief as no one survived the destruction of her kingdom.
Cause there's no one to love you when you build your walls too high
The lyrics are a warning about the dangers of building emotional walls that will block out love and prevent anyone from entering.
There is no one, who is strong enough, to save your love
The queen has lost faith in finding someone strong enough to help her in her struggles.
There's no fairytale, There's no fairytale
The song is about the harsh realities of life and the absence of a fairytale ending.
And there's no one to love you when you trap yourself inside
The lyrics are a reminder that if you trap yourself inside, no one will be able to love you because you have shut them out.
Contributed by Jasmine T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@ansleytaylor449
A paper crown
And a heart made of glass
A tattered gown
And a kingdom of ash
She walks alone
She can never look back
The story of a queen whose castle has fallen to the sea
She’ll make it out
But she’s never the same
She’s looking down
At the scars that remain
But you hold your ground
When your kingdoms in flames
Cause it’s the story of a queen
Whose castle has fallen to the sea
Knowing there’s no one who will be
A king that will come and save his queen
When all she needs
When all she wants
When all she finds
When all she is
And ever was
Is compromised
Cause there’s no one to love you
When you build your walls
Too high
And there’s no one to love you
When you build your walls to
High
She’s looking out
From the war that’s inside
She’s screaming out
Cause no one survived
But when you’re all alone
You wait and you hide
Cause it’s the story of a queen
Whose castle has fallen to the sea
Knowing there’s no one who will be
A king that will come and save his queen
When all she needs
When all she wants
When all she finds
When all she is
And ever was
Is compromised
Cause there’s no one to love you
When you build your walls
Too high
And there’s no one to love you
When you build your walls to
High
There’s no one
Who is strong enough
To save your love
There’s no fairytale
There’s no fairytale
When all she needs
When all she wants
When all she finds
When all she is
And ever was
Is compromised
Cause there’s no one to love you
When you build your walls
Too high
And there’s no one to love you
When you trap yourself inside
@AlecBenjaminMusic
THE ALBUM IS COMING MAY 29TH !!! pre order here : https://alecbenjamin.lnk.to/TheseTwoWindowsID
@alexanderjohansson9425
pretty please post this song on spotify, i think your version is soooo much better than the real version and id literally kill for this on my playlist, thx :D
@lotte_mz8679
This song is soooo goooooddd
@moemegahed6270
@Alexander Johansson it's part of the album i just pre-saved it on Spotify
@wither5349
You got this, I'm very excited! We love you! Keep up the great work! <3
@kaipark1649
Oh at first I thought it was April 29. I was wrong. Up until this point, I thought it was May 3.
@jjsnowflake99
6 years later and it's FINALLY on spotify!! 🥳
@NoName-xw2no
yess
@mariajuliennetimario8065
The one on Spotify is the new version not this version. The old one hits better then the new.
@Rae-vv4dj
I still love the original more but I'm so happy it's on spotify