Terms & Tenderness

Neo-soul / R&B, 78 BPM, warm bass, jazzy chords, laid-back pocket, silky vocal runs

[Chorus]
What am I getting paid in… mm?
Say it plain, don’t dress it up.
If I’m good only when it’s safe,
That’s not a gift, that’s a cup with a hidden bottom.
And resentment—mmm—
Resentment is a receipt I didn’t mean to write.

[Verse 2]
There’s a bee in the story, trying hard to be sweet,
But when the threat gets close it backs away from the heat.
It wants to be called “good,” wants to keep its fragile skin,
So it trades the truth for image, and the virtue can’t hold in.
And I feel that in my chest when the cost gets too real,
When “helping” turns to pressure, and my smile starts to peel.

[Chorus]
What am I getting paid in… mm?
Approval, safety, a clean identity?
If I’m good only when it’s easy,
Baby that’s not virtue, that’s a quiet little treaty.
And resentment—mmm—
Resentment is a receipt I didn’t mean to write.

[Bridge]
So where’s the line between self-preservation and fear?
Between “I need boundaries” and “I disappear”?
Maybe integrity is simple: I say the line early.
Not cold, not cruel—just honest and sturdy.
Compassion without performance, justice without a cage,
Integration without the story that we’re enemies on a stage.

[Verse 3]
Tonight I’ll do one costly good thing, small but true,
No spotlight, no sermon, no “look what I went through.”
And if my body starts bargaining, trying to make it a trade,
I’ll breathe and let it pass—no invoice, no parade.
I’ll still protect my life, but I won’t lie about the price,
‘Cause truth is where love lives, not in being “nice.”

[Final Chorus]
What am I getting paid in… mm?
I’m done renting out my heart.
If I give, let it be clean—
Boundaries spoken, no martyr art.
And resentment—mmm—
Resentment fades when the contract falls apart.

2086/7500

[Verse 1] I bring you tea when you’re tired, I listen like a priest, But I watch your eyes for the proof that I increased. I say I’m “just being kind,” but I’m counting in my head— Paid in approval, paid in control, paid in “please don’t leave me” bread. I’m generous in the daylight, when the lighting makes me glow, But at night I feel the truth tap-tap beneath the show. [Chorus] What am I getting paid in… mm? Say it plain, don’t dress it up. If I’m good only when it’s safe, That’s not a gift, that’s a cup with a hidden bottom. And resentment—mmm— Resentment is a receipt I didn’t mean to write. [Verse 2] There’s a bee in the story, trying hard to be sweet, But when the threat gets close it backs away from the heat. It wants to be called “good,” wants to keep its fragile skin, So it trades the truth for image, and the virtue can’t hold in. And I feel that in my chest when the cost gets too real, When “helping” turns to pressure, and my smile starts to peel. [Chorus] What am I getting paid in… mm? Approval, safety, a clean identity? If I’m good only when it’s easy, Baby that’s not virtue, that’s a quiet little treaty. And resentment—mmm— Resentment is a receipt I didn’t mean to write. [Bridge] So where’s the line between self-preservation and fear? Between “I need boundaries” and “I disappear”? Maybe integrity is simple: I say the line early. Not cold, not cruel—just honest and sturdy. Compassion without performance, justice without a cage, Integration without the story that we’re enemies on a stage. [Verse 3] Tonight I’ll do one costly good thing, small but true, No spotlight, no sermon, no “look what I went through.” And if my body starts bargaining, trying to make it a trade, I’ll breathe and let it pass—no invoice, no parade. I’ll still protect my life, but I won’t lie about the price, ‘Cause truth is where love lives, not in being “nice.” [Final Chorus] What am I getting paid in… mm? I’m done renting out my heart. If I give, let it be clean— Boundaries spoken, no martyr art. And resentment—mmm— Resentment fades when the contract falls apart.

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