Weight of the Light

[Intro – Spoken, A2, dry mic] [Male:] Clock won’t stop. Breath stuck. Street buzzin’ like it knows what I’m duckin’. I look calm, but I’m sinkin’ fast— Feelin’ like I never made peace with the past. The world spins, but I stay flat. Every day’s another mirror I don’t look at. [Verse 1 – A2–B2] [Male:] I learned young—quiet means safe. Noise brings heat, and heat don’t wait. I kept low, chin down, voice clipped. Learned to smile when the blood would drip. Kept my thoughts in locked-up drawers. Dreams folded in between concrete floors. They told me to rise, but never said how. Just “man up”—so I wore that vow. I had homies who disappeared fast. One fight, one call, now part of the past. They etched their names in the back of my eyes— Every blink feels like another goodbye. [Chorus – Sung, A4–B4, gospel feel] [Female – Chorus:] I’m runnin’ from the weight of the light, No peace in day, no sleep at night. Prayin’ for wrong to somehow feel right, Still carryin’ the weight of the light. [Verse 2 – B2–C3] [Male:] Mama said, “Stay kind, stay good.” But kind don’t eat in the neighborhood. I traded my name for a harder tone— Paved over pain just to stand alone. There’s a shadow that follows my shoes. Knows what I lost, knows what I choose. Sometimes I hear it whisper my fate— Other times, it’s the only voice that’s straight. I used to laugh ‘cause it dulled the pain. Now I barely speak without feelin’ shame. Is this survival or just delay? How many years can I give away? [Chorus – repeat, with light harmony] [Female – Chorus:] I’m runnin’ from the weight of the light, No peace in day, no sleep at night. Prayin’ for wrong to somehow feel right, Still carryin’ the weight of the light. [Verse 3 – A2–C3, haunted tone] [Male:] There’s a letter I wrote, never sent. Told the truth like I meant to repent. Burned it after readin’ it twice— Truth don’t work when your soul’s on ice. I’m a list of should’ve, could’ve, didn’t. Memory flickers, but I still sit in it. Even in joy, I hear that hum— Of every single thing I never outrun. Used to swear I had time to mend. Now I look for grace I don’t pretend. Maybe peace ain’t real for men like me— Built from loss and secrecy. [Bridge – Sung Female] I see doors but I don’t walk in. I see fire, but I don’t feel sin. I see faces and hear my name, But none of ‘em say it quite the same. [Spoken low, whisper-fx] [Male:] I’ve been kind. I’ve been cruel. Been a ghost, been a tool. Wrote a line, erased it fast. Built a life, now I doubt it’ll last. [Verse 4 – rising tension, C3–C4] [Male:] This ain’t redemption, just slow decay. Tryin’ to pay for what I threw away. I gave up trust to buy more time— But that bill keeps risin’ with every rhyme. One night I stood at the edge of it all. Looked down, heard silence call. Didn’t jump, didn’t run— Just let the weight set with the morning sun. Ain’t a hero. Ain’t a tale. Just another man too tired to bail. So I walk in circles, speak in lines, Hidin’ behind what still confines. [Chorus – repeated with gospel lift, ad libs] [Female – Chorus:] I’m runnin’ from the weight of the light, No peace in day, no sleep at night. Prayin’ for wrong to somehow feel right, Still carryin’ the weight of the light. (Still runnin’… still carryin’ it…) [Outro – A2, almost a whisper] [Male:] Still holdin’ the spark that was meant to kill. Still draggin’ this coat up the same old hill. Still runnin’ slow, no end in sight— Just the sound of the weight… Of the light.