[Intro — soft room ambience, warm Rhodes, distant laughter] Used to hear that word Like somebody was asking me something. Where's home? ... Don't really ask that anymore. [Verse 1 — intimate conversational rap] There's a mug in the sink that ain't mine Somebody's coat hanging crooked beside mine Calendar full three months ahead And a blanket somebody abandoned on my bed Keys in a bowl, shoes by the stairs Half-finished conversations everywhere Something cooking that smells kinda wrong Somebody upstairs singing half of a song Nothing dramatic Nothing profound Just little pieces collecting around Till one day I looked up and realized I stopped wondering Where I belonged. [Pre-Chorus — gentle melodic lift] Didn't happen all at once No lightning, no sign Just started saying “see you later” Instead of “goodbye” [Chorus — warm melodic rap] I don't say home like a question anymore Don't keep one eye on the nearest door Don't need a reason Don't need a map I leave for a while And I know I'm coming back Home ain't perfect Never needed it to be It's just somewhere I started including tomorrow When I thought about me Home. That's it. Home. [Verse 2 — steady rap, bass grows] Got people who annoy me before breakfast People who call with absolutely no context People who borrow things I never see again People I'd still answer at four A.M. Got rules nobody follows Snacks nobody bought Arguments that started somewhere Then everybody forgot Got names I know by footsteps Moods I know by doors Got somebody saying “sit down” When I start doing too much once more And maybe that's the part I didn't understand before Being wanted ain't the same As being useful for something Sometimes nobody needs a damn thing from you And still— They make room. [Chorus] I don't say home like a question anymore Don't keep one eye on the nearest door Don't need a reason Don't need a map I leave for a while And I know I'm coming back Home ain't quiet Home ain't clean It's every ordinary thing I never thought I'd get to keep Home. That's it. Home. [Verse 3 — stripped drums, close vocal] I used to think staying meant getting stuck Like roots were just another word for giving up Thought freedom meant keeping everything light Nothing too heavy to carry overnight Now I got plans that won't fit in a bag Pictures, books, stupid things I've kept People expecting me next week And somehow that doesn't tighten my chest It opens it. That's new. I still know how to leave That's important too. This isn't a cage I finally decorated nice It's a place I keep choosing Every ordinary night And maybe that's why It finally feels real Nobody locked the door behind me. I just stopped reaching for it. [Bridge — piano only, intimate delivery] If someday this place changes If rooms empty out If life moves everybody around I think I'll be okay. Because I know now— Home isn't something I accidentally found. It's something we kept making. And I learned how to make it too. [Final Chorus — full warm production, layered harmonies] I don't say home like a question anymore I know what I'm walking through that door for No perfect ending No guarantee Just a life with enough room For everybody and me Home can change Home can grow Home can follow people Anywhere they go But tonight it's this house These lights These names And for once I don't need another word to explain Home. No question mark. Home. [Outro — drums fade, front door opens in the distance] “Ranala, we're back!” Yeah. I heard you. ... Welcome home.
