[Intro — ONE acoustic guitar only; gentle exposed fingerpicking; no other instruments] [Female vocal enters softly over the same single guitar; intimate, close and vulnerable] Was told not to dream too loud That hopes like mine should be put down Told to grow up, make something real But how do I silence what I feel? [Verse 1 — single acoustic guitar continues gentle fingerpicking; quiet conversational vocal; no added layers] I drew in corners of a worn notebook Faces and futures that never took I sang to shadows in my room Where no one said, "You can make it soon" They said, “Pretty’s not enough for fame” “Girls like you’ll burn out in the rain” So I built worlds from words in my head Made magic from the tears I shed (“Ahh... ahhhh ahhh) [Chorus — SAME single acoustic guitar shifts from fingerpicking into stronger rhythmic strumming; vocal opens emotionally but remains clean; NO additional instruments or harmony] Somewhere, somehow, someone like me Is rising up from broken dreams If I could reach just one lost soul Then maybe I’ve found my true role In pages, pen, and written word I made my hurt be heard And I believe — yeah, I believe — That little girl in me ... is learning to breathe [Verse 2 — SAME guitar returns to softer fingerpicking; vocal settles into warm restrained delivery; no additional sounds] Mom said, “Don’t waste what won’t pay you back” “Dreams are for girls who have what you lack” Dreams found me anyway So I wrote it into songs I’d play I watched the clouds and saw my truth My shelter from a world too cruel I carved it out in notes to play Tried to feel like I’m okay (“Tried to feel.…”) [Chorus — SAME single acoustic guitar becomes more rhythmic; stronger vocal emotion; still only ONE voice and ONE guitar] Somewhere, somehow, someone like me Turned the silence into symphony If I can speak to hearts that hide Then I won’t need to run or lie With paper and pen and words of might I built a world that just feels right And I believe — yeah, I believe — That little girl will finally see (“Will finally see… who she can be…”) [Bridge — SAME acoustic guitar becomes extremely sparse; isolated fingerpicked notes with space between phrases; exposed clean vocal; no whispering, no added instrumentation] She’s not weak, she’s just unheard Fighting fates with every word Cobwebs tangled in her mind Still she searches, still she climbs Sobs like thunder in her chest But she still hopes to be her best If someone else could just break through… She’d know that she’s worthy too (“Ohhh... worthy too…”) [Final Chorus — begin with delicate fingerpicking; SAME guitar gradually develops into strong full strumming; vocal grows from vulnerable to powerful clean emotional delivery; intensity created ONLY by voice and acoustic guitar] Somewhere, somehow, someone like me Is daring now to just believe That what I felt was never wrong That I was worthy all along And maybe now she’ll find her peace In every song, in every piece I made for her, I set her free That little girl is finally— [slight pause before the outro so that they are two separate verses] [Outro — SAME acoustic guitar continues; vocal returns to warm natural singing, not spoken or whispered] So I’ll keep writing, just in case Some other girl might need this grace And if she rises when she sings… Then I’ve become who I believed (“I believed… mmm…”) [Instrumental ending — ONE acoustic guitar only; 4 bars gentle fingerpicking; final chord rings naturally; NO vocals and NO additional instruments]
