We are more than animals

[vocals: Gritty untrained male vocal, whisper to explosive shout arc] [background-vocals: Gang harmonies in final chorus, raw and swelling] [intro: Soft guitar, faint banjo, near whisper] (soft) Hey… Oh… [verse: Quiet, reflective, slight edge] They say I’m bone and blood and nerve A clever beast with a need to serve Just teeth and time in a fading frame A spark that flickers and forgets its name Well I’ve seen dogs show better grace Than half the men who’ve lost their place So if I’m only what they can use— But I know I must someday lose Why do I feel like I’ve more to prove? [build: Banjo picks up, tension rising] And I—I can’t see how I was made Yeah I—but I know I was not made for fear [chorus: First lift, restrained, no reveal yet] Hey! We are more than flesh and bone More than standing here alone Oh! There’s a weight inside the soul That no measure can control And I—I will stand, I won’t fall There’s a voice beneath it all No we—we were meant for something whole Not just bodies growing old [verse: Stronger, more direct challenge] There were days when the air felt clean Like the truth stood sharp and we felt free Now the ground won’t hold and the lines all blur And I’m fighting just to remember you You can measure every part of me Trace my thoughts to a chemistry Map the patterns in my head Say it’s all just lines of thread But tell me why when the fear sets in Something deeper won’t give in Why I’d stand when it costs me all When survival says withdraw [build: More aggressive, vocal strain rising] Yeah I—I can’t see how I was made Yeah I—but I know I was not made for fear [chorus: Bigger, more drive] Hey! We are more than time and space More than what these hands can trace Oh! There’s a truth we can’t replace Something known in love’s own face And I—I will live, I won’t fold Through the nights so bitter cold No we—we were not just shaped to cope There’s a fire that gives us hope [bridge: Strip down, intimate, human fear + connection] (soft) My hands shake… my breath runs thin… I feel the doubt crawl under my skin… I’m nervous too… I feel it all… But I won’t let you slip or fall… No I—I won’t let you fall from me If you stand your ground beside me What if I’m weak… what if I break… Then I’ll stand up with every step I take… (soft, rising) We were not made to live in fear… [aria-rise: Spiritual lift, voice opens, instruments swell] Ohhhhh— There’s a line I won’t step below There’s a truth that I somehow know Ohhhhh— Through the pain and the weight and the fear There’s a reason I’m standing here [chorus: FINAL DROP — horns swell, full energy] HEY! We are more than animals More than flesh and chemicals OH! We were made to stand and fight For the truth and for the right And I—I will love, I will stand tall Even when this body falls No we—we were never meant for control We are more than animals [chorus: Extended, raw, breaking moment] Hey! We are more than animals (Oh-oh-oh!) Hear it when the silence calls YEAH—! We are more than fucking animals! Yeah we—we were made for something whole We are more than animals [outro: Soft, grounded, resolved] (soft) Not just bone… not just breath… There’s something here that outlives death…