[OPEN — nearly whispered, close-mic, audible breath; no beat] I am grateful to be alive Not an imposter in my own skin I'm the soul that got dropped in [Brief silence. Low Hammond enters.] I'm me when the road stays smooth I'm him when patience wears through [Dirty Southern-soul groove enters: Rhodes, warm bass, dry drums. Lead sits behind the beat.] You won't shake loose what I know You won't be the one to rock this boat [Don't shout. Calm certainty.] You might be headed straight to hell Not my business — that's on you to tell [Brief instrumental breath. Faint processed female harmony appears.] You can be my brother You can call yourself my friend [Warm, wounded rather than angry.] But if you're still as lost as before Don't expect to be let back in again [One beat of silence.] Everything you think gives you the right to step— [Band cuts nearly away.] Trust me, the mirror already knows what's left [Sudden crystalline female vocal flicker around “mirror.” Formant-shifted, strange, beautiful.] [RE-ENTRY — bass and drums return hard; lead stays controlled.] Talk with that much bass in your chest And you better believe it's a test [Lead gets raspier, more physical.] Playing out your pantomime, act by act Pretending you know the script, know the facts [Female harmonies multiply: hyper-stacked, vocoder-like, impossible harmonics.] But somebody's watching, keeping track Waiting to see who's got the nerve to step back [Hold. Let it echo.] [DROP — Rhodes, breath, distant female vocal cloud.] Maybe the boat was never yours to steer Maybe the truth gets quieter when fear gets near [Lead becomes vulnerable.] Maybe the door I closed wasn't punishment Maybe it was how I learned where I end [Female voice suddenly blooms — fractured layers, octave jumps, crystalline sustained tones.] I don't need to make you see I don't need to make you change [Build — Hammond rises, bass widens, drums open.] I can leave the light on Without dragging you through the flame [Female harmonies surge.] If you hear me, hear yourself If you feel this, let it move [Full dirty-South soul band. Lead opens into cracked gospel authority.] Nothing here needs to conquer you Nothing here needs to prove [Release, not domination.] I'm still me when the road stays smooth I'm still him when the patience wears through [Female vocal erupts into ecstatic, hyper-stacked harmonic architecture.] And if I have to walk away I can walk away without losing you [PEAK — enormous hybrid gospel/digital climax. Then complete subtraction.] [FINAL — dry, intimate, almost whispered.] I am grateful to be alive [Breath.] Not an imposter in my own skin [Long pause.] I'm the soul that got dropped in [Very quiet.] I'm here. [Silence.]
