Here you are alone, and you deserve it
Your friends have turned to stone
And that's on you
You had a cause to serve, but did you serve it?
Or did you see yourself in a way that wasn't true?

This is not your father's fairytale
And no, it's not your mother's fault you fail
So when your story comes to light
Make sure the story that they write

Goes, "once upon a time, a girl tried harder"
"Once upon a time, she tried again"
"Once upon a braver choice, she took a risk, she used her voice"
And that will be my once upon a time
This time

Why tell all those lies?
You feel unworthy
Like there isn't solid ground for you to stand
But a stack of lies is not a firm foundation
You cannot build a castle on a mountain made of sand

This is not your mother's dark desire
And no, it's not your father's hair on fire
Turns out it's you who's not awake
So if there's change you wanna make

Take, "once upon a time, she fought a dragon"
"Once upon a time, that beast was me"
"Once upon a misspent youth, she faced herself, she spoke the truth"
That's how I see my once upon a time
This time

Life is not a storybook, but life unfolds in chapters
Turn the page and start to make amends
There's no prewritten guarantee of happily ever after
Step into your greatness before your story ends
So when your story ends

They'll say
"Once upon a time, a girl flew higher"
"Once upon a time, she made things right"
"Once upon a tie that binds, she changed her heart to change their minds"
That's got to be my once upon a time

This once upon a time
I'll finally see my once upon a time

This time