Same Game. Different Rules

He walks in the room and they call it presence She walks in the same room — suddenly it's threatening He talks over people, they call it conviction She does it once — she's rude, needs correction He's strategic, he's smart, he plays the long game She does the exact same thing — suddenly she's playing games He gets the promotion, the title, the raise She gets the feedback that she needs to soften her ways He raises his voice — passion, they say She raises her voice — there goes her day Same sentence, same tone, same room, same fight Different name on the door — different set of rights I'm done translating myself so you're comfortable Done shrinking the vision so the room feels agreeable I've watched the rulebook get rewritten live One version for him, one that keeps me in line Not asking for your permission anymore Not softening the edges to fit through your door You built the standard crooked from the start And I'm done playing along like I don't see that part Chorus Same game, different rules — and I see it clear What they call strength in him, they call fear in her Same move, same drive, same fire inside But the name on the label changes every time It's not the ambition they're scared of — it's me A woman who knows her worth and refuses to leave The game is the same — I just refuse to play By rules that were written to keep me away He's confident — they hand him the mic She's confident — they tell her to think twice He's direct, he's firm, that's leadership they say She's difficult, too much, she needs to check her way He sets the boundary — professional, clean She sets the same boundary — you know what they mean He takes up space like he was born to own it She takes up space and suddenly she's overstepping, blowing it And the worst part — she starts to believe it Starts editing herself so they can receive it Starts asking sorry before she even speaks Starts making herself smaller just to get through the week I've watched brilliant women fold under this pressure Watched them turn down their volume just to be accepted Watched them lose the version of themselves that was real Just to fit the box that someone else built for the deal Not asking for your permission anymore Not softening the edges to fit through your door You built the standard crooked from the start And I'm done playing along like I don't see that part Same game, different rules — and I see it clear What they call strength in him, they call fear in her Same move, same drive, same fire inside But the name on the label changes every time It's not the ambition they're scared of — it's me A woman who knows her worth and refuses to leave The game is the same — I just refuse to play By rules that were written to keep me away I'm not here to be palatable Not here to be digestible Not here to make the room feel safe While I disappear in the process You want me smaller — I go bigger You want me quieter — watch me deliver You wrote the rules to keep me out I'm rewriting them — that's what this is about She worked twice as hard to get half the credit Bit her tongue so many times she almost let it Define her — almost let the narrative stick Almost believed that she was just too much, too quick But here's the thing about a woman who's done She stops explaining and she just gets it done No more softening, no more playing along No more shrinking herself just to fit in the song The standard was always broken — she just sees it now Sees the system for exactly what it is and how And knowing it — naming it — refusing it — that's power That's the version of her they were scared of from hour one Same game, different rules — and I see it clear What they call strength in him, they call fear in her Same move, same drive, same fire inside But the name on the label changes every time It's not the ambition they're scared of — it's me A woman who knows her worth and refuses to leave The game is the same — I just refuse to play By rules that were written to keep me away Same game Different rules Not anymore Not anymore Same game Watch me change the rules Watch me