[Verse 1] I've been sleeping in my armor, battle-ready every night Rehearsing all the ways that I've been wronged Building walls of righteous anger, convinced that I'm right But these defenses have been here too long I can see you through the barricades I've made And you look tired of this war Maybe it's time to ask myself what I'm so afraid of And what we're really fighting for [Chorus] I'm laying down my arms, laying down my shield Choosing love over being right I'm stepping from this battlefield Into the light, into the light 'Cause holding onto hurt won't heal what's broken here And I want to be the woman who can make peace appear So I'm laying down my arms tonight [Verse 2] I've been keeping score of every slight and every pain Writing dissertations on your faults But all this mental ammunition is driving me insane And I'm tired of these emotional assaults I want to be the kind of person who can bridge the gap Between what was and what could be So I'm choosing to surrender to the better parts of who I am And who I want to be [Chorus] I'm laying down my arms, laying down my shield Choosing love over being right I'm stepping from this battlefield Into the light, into the light 'Cause holding onto hurt won't heal what's broken here And I want to be the woman who can make peace appear So I'm laying down my arms tonight [Bridge] And maybe this is what it means to be brave Not building walls but tearing them down Maybe strength is found in what we're willing to give Not in the battles that we've won So I'll be the first to say I'm sorry For the ways I've fed this fire I'll be the first to reach across this divide And lift us both up higher [Verse 3] I know you've got your armor on too, I can see it in your eyes We've both been wounded in this dance But someone has to be the first to trust, to compromise To give this love another chance I don't want to be the woman who's always on defense Who's forgotten how to bend I want to be the one who chooses peace over being right And love over needing to win [Verse 4] It's scary to be vulnerable when you've been hurt before To open up your heart again But I'm tired of being angry, tired of keeping score I'm ready to begin again The woman I want to be doesn't carry grudges Doesn't build walls to hide behind She faces conflict with an open heart And peace of mind [Verse 5] So here I am, defenseless but not defeated Standing in the space between us with my heart I'm choosing to believe that we can heal what's been mistreated If we both decide to start I'm not naive, I know it takes two people To make a peace that's gonna last But I can only control my own choices And I'm choosing love over the past [Final Chorus] I'm laying down my arms, laying down my shield Choosing love over being right I'm stepping from this battlefield Into the light, into the light 'Cause holding onto hurt won't heal what's broken here And I want to be the woman who can make peace appear So I'm laying down my arms tonight Yeah, I'm laying down my arms tonight And maybe you'll lay down yours too And we can find our way back to what's true [Quote] "You can't shake hands with a clenched fist." - Indira Gandhi
