# Please Knock First **Verse 1** Please knock before you enter, Give me a moment to know, Don’t just open up my doorway Like it doesn’t matter though. Sometimes I’m sitting quietly, Sometimes I don’t know what to say, But silence isn’t permission, And quiet doesn’t mean okay. **Pre-Chorus** I know it might seem small to you, A door left open wide, But when everything feels too much, I need somewhere safe inside. **Chorus** Please knock first, Please ask me, Please give me time to breathe. Close the door while you are cleaning, That small thing means so much to me. The alarms, the voices, The vacuum in the hall, The smell of bleach around me— Sometimes I feel it all. And if I’ve had a bad night, Everything cuts deeper still. So please don’t assume I’m alright Just because I’m quiet and still. **Verse 2** There are days when every sound Feels louder than before, Every voice outside my room Comes rushing through the door. A buzzing alarm can shake me, The vacuum fills my head, And strong smells seem to follow me When I just need rest instead. **Pre-Chorus** I’m not trying to be difficult, I’m trying to feel safe. Sometimes one little warning Can make all the difference it takes. **Chorus** Please knock first, Please ask me, Please give me time to breathe. Close the door while you are cleaning, That small thing means so much to me. The alarms, the voices, The vacuum in the hall, The smell of bleach around me— Sometimes I feel it all. And if I’ve had a bad night, Everything cuts deeper still. So please don’t assume I’m alright Just because I’m quiet and still. **Bridge** I wish you could hear the noise The way it sounds to me. I wish you could feel how quickly A calm room stops feeling free. I don’t always have the strength To explain it in the moment, So when I tell you what I need, Please remember it and know it. I shouldn’t have to fall apart Before my needs are real. I shouldn’t have to raise my voice For you to understand how I feel. **Final Chorus** Please knock first, Please ask me, Please respect the space I need. Close my door and give me warning, Show me you have heard me speak. The alarms, the voices, The smells and endless sound, Can turn a difficult morning Into something that pulls me down. And if I’ve had a bad night, Please be gentle with me still. Don’t assume that I’m okay Just because I’m quiet and still. **Outro** A knock. A question. A closed door. A little space to breathe. It might seem like almost nothing, But it means the world to me. My silence isn’t permission. My quiet isn’t “yes.” Please hear me when I tell you: I need my space respected.
