Shifting

Shifting — Short Story Doctor D has always felt different. Where most people hear words, he feels emotions. Every room is filled with thoughts, fears, hopes, and judgments that seem to flow through him. Over time, carrying everyone else’s feelings leaves him exhausted and alone. Caught between who he truly is and who others expect him to be, Doctor D struggles to find his own voice beneath the noise. As the pressure grows, he begins a journey of self-discovery, learning that the hardest battle is not against the world—but against losing himself. ⸻ Shifting Intro Where do I go Where do I walk Crowded voices Crowded Minds Verse 1 No matter where I go The light low tone voices Run thru me others exhaust me Absorbed and dreamed Every feeling finds a home inside my chest Every thought arrives uninvited without rest I carry burdens that were never mine to hold Trying to find myself beneath the weight they mold Verse 2 I can’t run I can’t breathe I just take the real and no matter what I try not to kneel but my emotions are pushing me to take a spiritual plea deal Shifting between whom I want to be And what everyone else judges me as to be Faces pass like waves upon an endless sea Some leave scars and some leave pieces haunting me I search for answers in a world that never sleeps Trying to protect the parts of me I keep Pre-Chorus Darkness comes with every light Light comes with ever darkness You can’t control it You can’t expect it You make a deal So you don’t lose your appeal But every compromise leaves pieces on the floor And every private battle makes me question more Chorus Shifting ohh shifting why can’t I just be me Why does everyone not let me be Why can’t they see who I am to see what I Can do and be Shifting ohh shifting caught between the tides Trying to find the place where my true spirit hides Holding on while the pressure pulls at me Searching for the person I was meant to be Verse 3 Some days I feel the weight of every room Like pressure building with approaching doom The laughter and the sorrow all become my own Even in a crowd I still feel all alone Doctor D keeps walking through the noise each day Trying to separate the truth from what they say Looking for a place where he can finally stand Without the weight of every judgment close at hand Bridge Maybe I was never meant to fit the mold Maybe every struggle has a truth to hold Maybe all these voices helped me understand The strength it takes to finally make a stand I don’t need permission to become myself I don’t need acceptance sitting on a shelf The road is long but now I understand The person I am becoming is already in my hands Final Chorus Shifting ohh shifting now I finally see The person I was searching for was always me Through every doubt and every voice that tried to steer The truth was waiting underneath the fear Shifting ohh shifting I am standing tall I don’t need to answer every judgment call The world can speak but it won’t define me I am who I choose to be Outro Where do I go I go forward Where do I walk I walk my path Crowded voices Crowded minds But now I know My voice survives