Love in the Broken (Remixed)

{Verse 1] I used to slip out at night when the city lights were low Stoppin' trouble in the shadows where no one else would go They called me the black badger, said I caused the fights I broke The cops hated every footprint, every rumor, every joke One day they caught me running, said I was the threat they chased And before I knew what happened, I was gone without a trace [Chorus] I woke up in a cage behind bars, vision blurry, body sore Couldn't tell what they had done to me or what they wanted me for My hands were trembling, teeth sharper than they used to be Every breath felt heavier, like something wild was waking in me They said, "She's adapting nicely," like I wasn't even there at all And the girl who fought the darkness felt herself begin to fall [Verse 3] They gave me shocks to my heart, beat shook, ran tests 'til I couldn't breathe Taught me how to fight with sharpened teeth, said the monster was all I'd ever be Every day the pain got louder, every night I begged for it to stop 'Til the chains they wrapped around me finally pushed me to the drop I broke out through the screaming, through the fire and the fear 'Cause I'd rather face the darkness than spend one more second in here [Verse 4] [percussion drops out, arpeggiated guitar continues] I tried to live a normal life, but the world just felt too loud Every heartbeat felt like thunder, every sidewalk felt like a crowd So I waited for the bus one foggy day, just trying to breathe and stay unseen And that's when I found you sitting down beside me, quiet, calm, eighteen We didn't look at each other, just shared the silence in the gray 'Til I finally found the courage to speak the first real word I'd said in days [Verse 5] [full band re-enters] They found me once again, dragged me back before I healed Said the first time wasn't finished, said my fate was never sealed They kept me weak and silent, pushed my instincts 'til they bled Taught me how to bare my blacken claws when I couldn't lift my head Every day they stripped me further, every thought turned into fear 'Til the girl who once fought monsters couldn't tell if she was one in here [Bridge] But Reed, you came back for me again, through the fear and through the fight You said you wouldn't leave without me, said my name like it was light I didn't know how to love you back, didn't know how to even try But you held me like I mattered, not the creature I'd become inside And slowly all the broken parts began to fit again somehow 'Cause the girl they tried to turn to nothing is the one you're holding now [Outro] [heavy percussion, anthemic strings] You carried me out of that place, step by step through all the pain Never asked me for a reason, never once looked at me with shame You stayed until the shaking stopped, until the nightmares finally passed You held my hand through every moment, taught me how to breathe at last And little by little, day by day, you helped me learn to feel the light 'Til the girl who couldn't smile remembered how to do it right