[Intro – spoken, dry] This year I wrapped everything. Some boxes. Some feelings. Guess which ones still don’t fit. [Verse 1] Paper on the floor, scissors in my hand, trying to make straight lines in a life that never planned. Fold the corners down so the chaos doesn’t show, pull the ribbon tighter, say, “That’s fine, nobody will know.” Stacking all the presents in a perfect little row, every box a story that I never really show. Writing all the tags with my nicest pen, “Love from me” to the people I don’t let see me when I bend. [Pre-Chorus] It looks like joy from far away, up close it’s just “don’t fall apart today”. [Chorus] We’re all wrapped up but we’re not okay, holding it together with tape tonight. Shiny on the outside, fraying at the seam, calling it “a present” while we hide the in-between. We’re all wrapped up, but we won’t say, how much of this is fear in holiday display. Bow on every box we never fixed, Merry Christmas from the land of mixed. [Verse 2] Tie another ribbon, make it extra neat, maybe if it’s pretty they won’t see the missing piece. Put a smiley sticker where the paper ripped, same place where my patience quietly slipped. Every little present on the carpet, on the floor, every little present I am never fully in anymore. Taking all the sharp thoughts, folding till they’re small, tuck them under labels that just say “To: all”. [Pre-Chorus 2] It looks like care in every bow, but half of this is “please don’t let it show”. [Chorus] We’re all wrapped up but we’re not okay, holding it together with tape tonight. Shiny on the outside, shaking underneath, calling it “tradition” while we grind our teeth. We’re all wrapped up, but we play along, pose for one more picture, try to get the angle strong. Tag it “blessed” and hope it sticks, Merry Christmas from the land of tricks. [Bridge] Every present on the floor, every present we’re not in, every perfect folded edge, every place we didn’t spin. We keep the lights all hanging while we’re barely hanging on, counting down the days till this performance can be gone. If I unwrap one layer, will the whole thing fall apart, or will someone see the mess and still decide to take my heart? [Breakdown – chant] Wrap it up, tape it tight, don’t let any truth in sight. Wrap it up, make it shine, “Everything is fine, it’s fine.” Wrap it up, hold, don’t drop, don’t admit you want to stop. Wrap it up, breathe, don’t break, how much glitter can we fake? [Final Chorus] We’re all wrapped up but we’re not okay, holding it together with tape tonight. If the ribbon snaps and the edges split, would you stay and sit inside this with me for a bit? We’re all wrapped up, but here we are, torn paper, tired faces underneath the star. If there’s any gift that I could dare to give, it’s me without the wrapping, just the person who still lives. [Outro – spoken, softer] Paper in the bin, lights almost out. Next year maybe I’ll wrap a little less and show a little more.
