SHE DESERVES IT ALL

[Intro — low piano, distant slide guitar] [Female — low, smoky, spoken] You said I deserved it all. I used to look behind me… Like you meant somebody else. [Verse 1 — intimate, restrained] I kept my keys beside the bed Left half my better words unsaid Could turn a good night cold as stone Before you thought of heading home You’d reach for me, I’d read the room Find some goodbye you never knew You said, “I’m here,” I heard, “For now” Old hurt had taught me to leave out loud [Pre-Chorus — quiet tension] You kept your word, I watched the clock Waited for the other shoe to drop But I got tired of losing sleep Over promises you didn’t break to me [Chorus — dark, soulful, strong melody] You said I deserved it all I could barely take your hand Kept waiting for the price to come For a love I couldn’t understand You saw a woman worth the trouble I saw reasons you should go You said I deserved it all I had some work to do to know [Verse 2 — steady groove, firmer delivery] I sat in rooms and said their names Quit dressing up the hurt as blame Learned how to let a silence sit Without putting your goodbye in it Stopped saying “fine” through gritted teeth Told you what I really need When that old fear came creeping through I learned to speak instead of testing you [Pre-Chorus — drums begin to build] You couldn’t do that work for me But you gave me room to breathe And every truth I used to hide Got easier to say with you beside me [Chorus — fuller, growing conviction] You said I deserved it all I was learning how to stay Let you hold me through the quiet Let a good night be okay You saw a woman worth the trouble I was starting to see her too You said I deserved it all Now I’ve got something to say to you [Instrumental — aching slide guitar, deep drums] [Bridge — stripped to piano and voice] I won’t thank the ones who hurt me They don’t get credit for this I’m the one who faced the mornings When I wanted to call it quits You were steady, you were patient But I had to choose my life Now I can stand here loving you And keep myself in sight [Breakdown — almost whispered] I don’t owe you perfect. You don’t owe me proof. We can tell each other when it hurts And still make room for truth. [Female — rising, soulful] I don’t have to earn your tenderness Or swallow what I need I can want a love that stays And believe it’s meant for me [Final Chorus — full band, restrained gospel harmonies] I know I deserve it all And I can finally take your hand Without waiting for the price to come Without an exit plan I want your laughter in my kitchen Your tired head against my chest A love that doesn’t make me pay For every little bit of rest I’m a woman worth the trouble I won’t hide when I stand tall You said it till I heard it Now I know I deserve it all [Outro — drums fall away, warm slide guitar] The keys are in the kitchen I’m not sleeping dressed to leave You’re reaching for me in the dark And I let myself believe [Female — low, certain] You said I deserved it all. Tonight… I believe you.