STILLNESS BEFORE COLLAPSE

STILLNESS BEFORE COLLAPSE [Intro – near silence / felt piano / room creak] (soft breath) Don’t say it… (pauses) If I don’t name it… it can’t break… ⸻ [Verse 1 – intimate, close mic, restrained] I learned to speak without a sound Let the silence drag me down Every word I never said Built a kingdom in my head Kept it neat behind my eyes Polished truths and quiet lies Held the line, kept the role Never let the fracture show ⸻ [Pre-Chorus – tension creeping in] Fingers shake but I stay composed Cracks don’t show when the curtain’s closed Hold it steady… hold it tight If I slip, I lose the fight ⸻ [Hook – melodic, controlled, haunting] I’m not breaking… I’m bending slow Like a secret no one knows Hold the line… don’t let it show I’m not breaking… I’m becoming stone ⸻ [Verse 2 – slightly more rhythm, pressure building] Every breath feels measured now Like I’m learning to disavow Every part that aches to speak Every version of me that’s weak I’ve been counting every flaw Like it’s something I can solve But the numbers never end And the weight won’t ever bend ⸻ [Pre-Chorus 2 – stronger, more layered] Hear it whisper, “don’t resist” Turn your pulse into a fist Lock it down, don’t let it spill If you feel… you lose your will ⸻ [Hook – fuller, low strings + taiko accents] I’m not breaking… I’m bending slow Like a secret no one knows Hold the line… don’t let it show I’m not breaking… I’m becoming stone ⸻ [Bridge – stripped, internal conflict exposed] (almost spoken, fragile) If I stop… what happens then? Do I crack… or just give in? (pauses, breath shakes slightly) If I feel it… will it stay? Or just tear me… all away… (soft layered whispers: hold… hold… hold…) ⸻ [Final Chorus – emotional peak, still controlled] I’m not breaking… I’m bending slow Through the weight I’ve come to know No more running, no more show I’m not breaking… I’m becoming… (slight lift, more certainty) I’m becoming stone ⸻ [Outro – quiet, resolved, almost cold calm] (piano fading, room tone) No more cracks… No more strain… (soft exhale) If I don’t feel it… …I can’t break.