[Verse 1] I learned the lines before the play began Smile at the right time, shake the right hand I memorized the way you talk and stand So no one sees how hard I am I look “okay,” I look “so strong” They say, “You’re fine, what could be wrong?” But every word I say is staged And every day I’m self-erased [Pre-Chorus] Lights feel sharper than they should Every sound hits twice as loud I’m holding it together good But it’s heavy being “normal” now [Chorus] I’m quietly loud, screaming inside Drowning in effort just to survive I blend in so well they don’t see the cost I’m here, but I’m tired, and parts of me are lost I wear my mask, I play my role But it’s draining my heart and fracturing my soul I fit in, I smile, I don’t make a scene But fitting in is exhausting me [Verse 2] I love too deep, I feel too much Every story, every touch Your pain becomes a part of mine Empathy burns like a fault line I take words straight, I mean them true They say I’m “sensitive,” say I’m “blue” They call it moods, they call it stress They never named the rest [Pre-Chorus] My mind runs fast but stalls in place Lost in lists I can’t arrange I’m capable, they say, “You’re fine” But functioning takes all my time [Chorus] I’m quietly loud, screaming inside Holding myself so tight I shake I seem so capable from the outside But every step is a calculated mistake I mask my needs, I bite my tongue I’ve been this way since I was young They missed the signs, they missed the truth Now I’m grieving my stolen youth [Bridge] Burnout creeps in like a silent storm I don’t know who I am without the form Is this me, or who I pretend to be? Am I broken—or just unseen? Shutdown, meltdown, fading fast Paying interest on the past I don’t need fixing, I need space To exist without the race [Final Chorus] I’m quietly loud, but I’m still here Even when the world feels too severe My brain is wired a different way That doesn’t mean I’m wrong or less okay If I’m distant, if I’m worn If I need rest, if I’m torn Please remember what you don’t see This world is overwhelming me [Outro] So if I pull back, if I’m tired today It’s not that I don’t care—I’ve just paid The price of fitting in too long Being quietly loud in a world that’s wrong
