[Verse 1] I count the small permissions in your face, A hand that stays, a chair pulled close. I want to be the name you choose, Not just the one who knows the door. Then morning asks what I have made, And who will say I earned my place. I chase the proof, I chase the praise, And hear your quiet needs beneath it all. [Pre-Chorus] Every want can wear a crown, Every vow can weigh me down. If I grip one part too hard, Who gets left outside my heart? [Chorus] I am more than what I’m owed, More than what I have to show. Let me want and still be true, Let me build a life that makes room for you. When the hungry parts take hold, I can name them, not obey them whole. I’ll choose the promise, choose the good, And bring my wanting with me as I should. [Verse 2] I want the room to turn and see, The years of work beneath my name. But praise can vanish by the dawn, And leave the work, the people, still the same. I want my hands to leave things better, A kinder answer, a door held wide. Not every good deed needs a witness; Some roots do their work out of sight. [Pre-Chorus] There are promises I made Before the fever, before the stage. I can’t call a duty small Just because it asks me not to run. [Chorus] I am more than what I’m owed, More than what I have to show. Let me want and still be true, Let me build a life that makes room for you. When the hungry parts take hold, I can name them, not obey them whole. I’ll choose the promise, choose the good, And bring my wanting with me as I should. [Breakdown] Love is not a prize I win. Work is not the whole of me. Duty is not a locked room. I can open it and breathe. I can say, “I want to matter,” Without making that my law. I can keep the word I gave you And still ask what I am for. [Final Chorus] I am more than what I’m owed, More than what I have to show. Let me want and still be true, Let me build a life that makes room for you. When the hungry parts take hold, I can name them, not obey them whole. I’ll choose the promise, choose the good, And bring my wanting with me as I should. [Outro] I don’t have to silence any part. I can give each one its place. Wanting, keeping, making good— One heart, with room enough to choose.
