[Verse 1] (tone: sarcastic, bitter) Happy birthday, twenty-five Hope you’re somehow still alive That’s a hell of a thing to write But it’s the first thought in my mind tonight You were loud and I was quiet You threw punches, I survived it You lit fires, I hid smoke Funny how we learned to cope You got caught, suspended, high I stayed home and wondered why You broke rules and raised hell I turned all my damage on myself ⸻ [Pre-Chorus] (tone: building) People think not talking Means not caring anymore They don’t understand Why I locked the door ⸻ [Chorus] (tone: angry and emotional) Happy birthday Don’t call me I wouldn’t answer anyway Probably Got you blocked from here to Tennessee But that don’t stop your ghost from checking in on me Happy birthday Hope you’re fine Hope you’re breathing somewhere tonight I chose distance To survive But distance doesn’t shut off a worried mind ⸻ [Verse 2] (tone: sharper, more sarcastic) Mom taught me a lesson well Love can drag you straight through hell So when the warning signs appeared I disappeared Before another six-year nightmare People say “He’s family though” Like that’s some magical antidote As if DNA can somehow erase Every reason I walked away ⸻ [Pre-Chorus] (tone: dark) And maybe that’s cold Maybe that’s true But I’ve buried enough people Without adding you ⸻ [Chorus] (tone: bigger) Happy birthday Don’t call me I already know how this movie would be Another crisis Another plea Another round of saving somebody who isn’t me Happy birthday Here’s the truth I don’t know what happened to you But I know what happened to me And that’s why you’re a memory ⸻ [Bridge] (tone: raw, devastating) Every year when this date arrives My brain starts making headlines “What if this is the year?” “What if the phone rings?” “What if nobody finds him?” “What if?” “What if?” “What if?” And I hate that part Because I worked so damn hard To stop carrying everybody else ⸻ [Breakdown] (tone: angry honesty) I am not your keeper I am not your cure I am not responsible For choices that are yours I learned that one The hard way Watching addiction eat a family One piece at a time ⸻ [Final Chorus] (tone: explosive) Happy birthday Don’t call me That’s not cruelty That’s boundaries You chose your road I chose mine And both of us get to live with that tonight Happy birthday This one’s strange Because love and anger wear the same face And maybe that’s the part Nobody sees You can miss somebody And still leave ⸻ [Outro] (tone: quiet, exhausted) I hope you’re okay. I hope you’re alive. I hope somebody answers When you call. It just can’t be me
