DIAMONDS UNDER MY SKIN [Verse 1 — quiet, atmospheric] At sundown every road inside my mind Was crowded like a city with no signs, The sea was breathing slowly at my feet, White gulls were drawing circles over me. Back home, the windows waited for my face, No one could see the pressure in this place, Deep underneath the surface I called “fine,” Something was changing shape inside my mind. [Pre-Chorus] The earth makes jewels Where no light has been, Maybe I was making Diamonds under my skin. [Chorus] Pressure, pressure— Turn me into something new, Fire in the darkness, Crystals breaking through. I thought the weight would bury me, I thought the heat would win— But all along the night was making Diamonds under my skin. Oh, diamonds under my skin. [Verse 2] Every soul I'd touched had left a trace, A little iron, silver, light and grace, Some burned bright and some were barely seen, But every one became a part of me. Maybe that's why all the gulls came down, Like I was solid ground they'd finally found, They covered me in feathers, soft and white, And made a little island of me that night. [Pre-Chorus] Maybe birds can see What people never find— The hidden constellations Growing in a mind. [Chorus] Pressure, pressure— Turn me into something new, Fire in the darkness, Crystals breaking through. I thought the weight would bury me, I thought the heat would win— But all along the night was making Diamonds under my skin. Oh, diamonds under my skin. [Verse 3 — music pulls back] I came home wearing feathers in my hair, They laughed and asked me what had happened there, I changed my clothes, the feathers disappeared— But something in my eyes remained unclear. They said, “Your eyes look like two precious stones tonight.” I smiled and turned away from all the light. How could I tell them what I couldn't name? I went down to the ocean one way— And someone else came home again. [Instrumental break] [Bridge — building] There comes a point When stone won't bend, When who you were Has reached an end. There comes a heat You can't outrun, And what feels like dying Might be becoming someone. So I left the road That knew my name, Left the doors, Left the frame. I didn't know Where I would go— I only knew I couldn't stay. [Final Chorus — wide, powerful] Pressure, pressure— You didn't turn me into dust, You gave my restless heart a shape, You made a metal out of us. Every hand that ever touched me, Every loss and every sin, Every mile and every goodbye Left a little jewel within. I thought the weight would bury me, I thought the heat would win— Now I know the deepest darkness Makes diamonds under the skin. [Outro — soft, almost whispered] And I'm still walking that other road, Still learning what I've become… With feathers somewhere in my memory, Two gemstones looking at the sun. Maybe pressure doesn't break us. Maybe sometimes— It begins.
