Sixth Exhale

[Intro - Distant Thunder, Low Piano, Male Whisper, Barely Contained] Breathe in... Come on... Breathe. [Verse 1 - Low, Gritty Male Vocal, Restrained Anger] I've worn this silence like a second skin, Smiled for the world while I rotted within. Another damn morning, another disguise, Another dead promise behind tired eyes. I built my walls out of things I couldn't say, Buried the pieces and walked away. I told myself I could carry the weight, But even the strongest hands start to shake. [Pre-Chorus - Pounding Low Toms, Cello Rising, Vocal Breaking] Then a voice came through the dead of night, A little warmth in a world gone white. You didn't know what I kept inside, You just stayed long enough... For me to stop lying. [Chorus - Full Cinematic Rock, Heavy Drums, Driving Bass, Powerful Guitars] I'M STILL HERE! UNDER ALL THIS WRECKAGE! STILL ALIVE! THOUGH I ALMOST LET GO! I've been choking on the words I buried, I've been drowning where nobody knows! You didn't pull me out of the fire, You just showed me I could breathe through the smoke! ONE MORE BREATH! LET THE WHOLE DAMN WORLD HEAR! I'M NOT GONE! I'M STILL HERE! [Instrumental Break - Melodic Electric Guitar, Cello Countermelody, Heavy Tom Pulse] [Verse 2 - Gritty, More Urgent, Drums Driving Forward] I hate the years that I gave to the pain, The nights I stood still in the pouring rain. Every old wound had a voice in my head, Telling me nothing would change if I bled. I don't need saving, don't call me whole, There are still cracks running through my soul. But something has shifted, something has moved, And for the first time, I've got something to lose. [Pre-Chorus - Bass Drops, Heartbeat Pulse, Voice Growing Desperate] If I fall apart, let the pieces fall. I'm tired of pretending I'm made of stone. You heard the truth I could barely speak, And somehow the silence no longer owns me. [Chorus - Bigger, Layered Vocals, Full Rock Band] I'M STILL HERE! UNDER ALL THIS WRECKAGE! STILL ALIVE! THOUGH I ALMOST LET GO! I've been choking on the words I buried, I've been drowning where nobody knows! You didn't pull me out of the fire, You just showed me I could breathe through the smoke! ONE MORE BREATH! LET THE WHOLE DAMN WORLD HEAR! I'M NOT GONE! I'M STILL HERE! [Bridge - Half-Time Drums, Dark Cello, Voice Cracking Into Anguish] Do you know what it costs To keep saying you're fine? To bury your heart One day at a time? I was losing my voice, I was losing my name. I didn't need a hero. I needed someone who stayed. [Build - Spoken Lines Become Sung, Guitar Feedback Rising, Drums Accelerating] I'M DONE WITH THE SILENCE! DONE WITH THE SHAME! I'M DONE CALLING SURVIVAL A REASON TO STAY THE SAME! [Final Chorus - Maximum Emotional Release, Gritty High Male Vocal, Powerful Guitars, Full Drums, Layered Harmonies] I'M STILL HERE! LET THE WHOLE WORLD HEAR IT! STILL ALIVE! AND I'M TAKING BACK MY SOUL! I won't erase the years that broke me, I won't pretend they never left a scar! But I am more than what destroyed me! I am more than the wreckage of my heart! ONE MORE BREATH! I CAN FEEL IT IN MY CHEST! I'M NOT WHO I WAS! BUT I'M NOT FINISHED YET! [Final Refrain - Instruments Hit Hard, Then Cut to Exposed Vocal] Not finished yet... Not finished... [Whisper - Shaking Exhale] Breathe out. [Outro - Solo Cello, One Low Piano Note, Faint Breath, Slow Fade Into Silence]