[INTRO — 8 bars] [Male bari-tenor, nearly whispered. Close-mic, dry, uneasy. Long pauses.] I know these walls. I know these cracks. I know exactly What put them there. I know the lock. I know the key. Funny how a man can hide A prison inside his teeth. [VERSE 1 — 16 bars] [Rhythmic spoken-sung delivery. Tense and restrained.] I learned to swallow every word Before it learned to make a sound Called it keeping peace While I was burning myself down I built my days from little rules Laid them straight from floor to roof Every time I called it safety I was really calling it proof I got good at being absent With my body in the room Got good at making little graves For everything I wanted to do And every time that voice said "You don't have to live this way" I turned the lock a little harder And threw the key away [CHORUS — 8 bars] [Full impact. Gritty, controlled fury. Strong rhythmic phrasing.] I built the cage. I forged the chain. I fed the fire. I cursed the flame. I built the walls. I dug the hole. Then blamed the darkness For swallowing me whole. I built the cage. I built it this way. Now every lock I ever trusted Is starting to break. [VERSE 2 — 16 bars] [Heavier rhythmic delivery. Let phrases collide with the riff.] I wore that mask until my face Forgot which one was real Smiled through every open wound And called it how I heal I blamed the hands that hurt me. I blamed the ones who left. Blamed the world for every door I was too afraid to test. There's a difference between surviving And becoming what survived. There's a difference between breathing And deciding you're alive. I kept waiting for a rescue Like salvation owed me one Never saw the hammer hanging Right beside the loaded gun. [RHYTHMIC BREAK — 8 bars] [Near-spoken. Bass and percussion exposed. Almost no vibrato.] Don't call me innocent. Don't call me damned. I know what they took from me. I know what I became. I know the wounds I didn't choose. I know the ones I made. And I am done confusing Being trapped with being safe. [BRIDGE — 8 bars] [Collapse almost completely. Vulnerable, cracked vocal.] Maybe I was never broken. Maybe I was bent too long. Maybe I kept wearing armor Till I couldn't feel it gone. Maybe fear ain't a warning. Maybe fear's just learned my name. Maybe freedom starts the moment I stop feeding it my shame. [FINAL EXPLOSION — 16 bars] [Full band detonates. Vocal fierce but never screamed; let the natural cracks remain.] I built the cage. I forged the chain. I fed the fire. I cursed the flame. I built the walls. I dug the hole. But I ain't dying In the thing that took my soul. I built the cage. I built it this way. Now every lock is coming loose. Now every wall gives way. Keep your rules. Keep your reasons. Keep the shape you made me wear. I spent half my life believing There was something wrong with air. I built the cage. But I hold the key. And if these hands have to bleed To find out who I am— Then let 'em bleed. [OUTRO — 8 bars] [Band collapses back to fingerstyle acoustic. Voice almost conversational.] I know these walls. I know these cracks. I know exactly What put them there. [Long pause.] I know the lock. I know the key. [Soft, certain.] This time... I leave the door open.
