[INTRO — whispered voices, vinyl hiss, single piano note] You still think about it, don’t you? Nah. Then why you still talking to me? …Who are you? I’m the part of you they created. [VERSE 1] I got a voice in my head that remembers everything, Every laugh from the past, every insult, every sting, Every room I walked into feeling nobody cared, Every time I needed somebody and nobody was there. It says, “Remember their faces, remember their names, Remember who was smiling when you suffered through the pain.” I tell it, “That was years ago, I’m trying to let it die,” It says, “Then why you still get angry every time you close your eyes?” Damn. Maybe you’re right, maybe something never healed, Maybe growing up just taught me how to hide the way I feel, I learned smiling is a mask, learned silence is a shield, Learned the deepest kind of wounds are the ones nobody feels. Now everybody loves me? Where the hell were you then? When I was looking for acceptance from my family and friends? Don’t hug me like we’re close, don’t rewrite what you did, ’Cause the man standing before you still remembers being that kid. [HOOK — haunting female vocal behind rapper] There’s a voice inside the mirror saying, “Don’t forget… don’t forget…” Another voice keeps telling me, “Forgive ‘em… there’s nothing left…” Which one is me? Which one’s the pain? Which one’s keeping me locked in chains? I stare into the mirror but something ain’t right— ’Cause the child I used to be is staring back tonight. [VERSE 2 — drums heavier] He said, “You promised me when we got older we’d make ’em understand.” I said, “I was just a child.” He said, “Then why’d you become this man?” I froze. Because nobody ever asked me that before, Maybe every wall I built became another locked door, Maybe I wasn’t getting stronger, maybe I was getting numb, Maybe I spent my whole life running from where I came from. He said, “Nah, they deserve it.” I said, “Deserve what?” “To feel exactly how you felt when nobody gave a—” STOP. Silence. Heartbeat. Room dark. I’m arguing with memories like they’re standing in my yard. Is revenge really justice if the victim becomes cruel? If I become the thing I hated, tell me— Who really played the fool? [BEAT BREAK — piano + whispered voices] They laughed at you. I know. They abandoned you. I know. Make them feel it. …No. Why? Because then they still control me. [VERSE 3 — controlled, intense delivery] That’s when everything changed. I finally understood: Carrying hate for twenty years never did me any good. They ain’t losing sleep at night from the things they did to me, While I’m fighting with their ghosts like they’re living here for free. That’s psychological prison with an invisible cell, Where the guards are your memories and your anger is hell, And the key’s been in your pocket but you’re scared to walk away, ’Cause when pain becomes identity— Who are you without the pain? That’s the question. Not revenge, not who’s tougher, not respect, Can you look into the mirror without seeing their effect? I won’t forget what happened. I ain’t saying it was right. But you don’t get another day, another year, another night. You already took my childhood. You ain’t taking my life. [FINAL HOOK — full strings + massive drums] There’s a voice inside the mirror saying, “Don’t forget… don’t forget…” Another voice keeps telling me, “You survived… now take the next step…” Which one is me? Maybe both remain. One remembers the scars— One refuses the chains. I looked into the mirror and finally realized… That little kid wasn’t weak. He survived. [OUTRO — drums disappear, old vinyl + piano] So… you’re just gonna let them go? No. I’m letting me go. …Then what happens to me? You become a memory. [vinyl abruptly stops]
