[Intro] (Soft piano. Quiet rain against a window.) Before there was a Batman... There was a boy. Before there was a legend... There was a father. [Verse 1] I remember a frightened child standing beneath the rain, A mansion full of silence, a family torn by pain. He lost them in a moment. And I watched him disappear. So I stayed beside him. I stayed year after year. I taught him how to stand. I taught him how to speak. I taught him how to carry himself when the world made him feel weak. But somewhere along the way... The boy became the Bat. And I wondered... If he remembered who he was. [Pre-Chorus] I watched him leave through the manor door. I watched him return bleeding on the floor. Every night I asked myself: "How many times can one man fall?" And every night... I opened the door. [Chorus] I'M THE MAN BEHIND THE BAT! THE VOICE THAT CALLS HIM HOME! WHEN THE NIGHT BECOMES TOO COLD HE KNOWS HE'S NOT ALONE! I'VE SEEN THE MAN BEHIND THE MASK! I'VE SEEN THE CHILD HE HIDES! AND NO MATTER HOW FAR THE DARKNESS TAKES HIM... I'LL BE THERE BY HIS SIDE! [Verse 2] Then came the children. One by one. Bright eyes. Broken hearts. Masks they wore before they understood what they had become. Dick brought laughter back into the house. Jason brought fire. Tim brought questions. Stephanie brought chaos. Barbara brought determination. Cass brought silence that spoke louder than words. Damian brought a legacy he didn't understand. And Duke... brought the light. They weren't soldiers. They weren't replacements. They were children looking for somewhere to belong. And somehow... they became my family. [Pre-Chorus] I've stitched their wounds. I've dried their tears. I've watched them grow through all the years. They call him Batman. They call themselves heroes. But when they come home... They're still my children. [Chorus] I'M THE MAN BEHIND THE BAT! THE VOICE THAT CALLS HIM HOME! WHEN THE NIGHT BECOMES TOO COLD THEY KNOW THEY'RE NOT ALONE! I'VE SEEN THE MASKS! I'VE SEEN THE PAIN! I'VE WATCHED THEM WALK INTO THE RAIN! AND NO MATTER HOW FAR THE DARKNESS TAKES THEM... I'LL ALWAYS KNOW THEIR NAMES! [Bridge] (Music strips down to piano.) Bruce... You don't have to carry it alone. You never did. You were a boy when I first found you. And you became a man because you chose to keep going. But you were never meant to carry Gotham by yourself. You built a family without realizing it. Look around you. They're still here. So come home. [Build] (Orchestral strings rise.) Come home, Bruce. Come home, Dick. Come home, Jason. Come home, Tim. Come home, Barbara. Come home, Stephanie. Come home, Cassandra. Come home, Damian. Come home, Duke. The city can wait. Tonight... you are family. [Breakdown] I DON'T CARE ABOUT THE MASK! I DON'T CARE ABOUT THE CAPE! I DON'T CARE ABOUT THE LEGEND YOU THINK YOU HAVE TO BE! YOU ARE NOT BATMAN! YOU ARE NOT ROBIN! YOU ARE NOT THE NEXT GREAT HERO! YOU ARE MY FAMILY! AND THAT WILL ALWAYS BE ENOUGH! [Final Chorus] I'M THE MAN BEHIND THE BAT! THE ONE WHO STAYED BEHIND! THE ONE WHO SAW THE BOY WHEN THE WORLD ONLY SAW THE SIGN! I'VE WATCHED THEM FALL! I'VE WATCHED THEM RISE! I'VE SEEN THE HUMANITY BEHIND THEIR EYES! THE CITY MAY NEED THEIR HEROES TONIGHT... BUT WHEN THE NIGHT IS OVER... THEY'LL ALWAYS HAVE A LIGHT. [Outro] (Piano and rain.) Before there was a Batman... There was a boy. Before there was a family... There was one man who refused to leave him alone. And when the masks come off... When the lights go out... When Gotham finally goes quiet... I'll still be here. Waiting by the door. (Softly) Welcome home. (Piano fades.)
