[INTRO (folk / sparse - almost spoken)] [(acoustic guitar, ambient rain, forest air)] I lost my address Didn’t lose my name Learned to walk again Under plastic skies and pine-needle rain Tents, vans, shadows Forest keeping score Wasn’t sure I’d make it Didn’t know what for [VERSE 1 - REALITY] [(folk rhythm, light beat creeping in)] They said “get in line” Wait your turn to be saved Hands out, head down Pray a system behaves Friends turned strangers Soon as I had no door Funny how compassion needs an address first They rewrote my story Called me sick, insane Forgot who fed them When I carried their pain I thought I was broken Thought I missed my chance Every move felt shaky Every step felt thin [PRE-HOOK (DOUBT)] [(beat almost drops out)] Didn’t know if I’d get out Didn’t know who I’d be Was I losing everything… or maybe I wasn’t losing anything............... [HARD DROP ------ BEAT SLAMS IN] [HOOK - THE REALIZATION] [BOOM.] Homeless.....not hopeless Just early, that’s all Didn’t lose time I learned inside the fall What tried to break me Taught me how to stand No savior coming So I learned my hands Homeless - not hopeless I was building the whole time While they waited in lines I was sharpening mine [VERSE 2 – THE PRACTICE] [(confident, grounded hip-hop flow)] I stopped begging systems Started listening in Healed in the quiet Let the wild teach me again Tuna can burner Fire just enough Coffee in the morning Yeah, I made it rough Cooked for the streets When the weight got heavy Fed them when I was low Funny how that steadied me Olympia nights They knew my food by name Hired for their parties Leftovers fed the flame Took pictures of beauty Looking for a place to die Turns out that lens Showed me how to stay alive [BRIDGE - THE MASKS FALL] [(beat strips back, half-spoken)] Funny thing about being nothing People stop pretending When they think you’re invisible That’s when truth walks in [slow rise] Church words, fake prayers Scroll-fed empathy Soon as I was homeless They showed me who they’d be And I’m grateful ....... Yeah, grateful I could see I’d rather know the truth Than live with borrowed loyalty [HOOK - FULL POWER (RETURN)] Homeless - not hopeless Never was a lie They mistook my silence For a final goodbye Homeless - not hopeless I was learning my worth Skills born in survival Now they call it work [OUTRO – INTEGRATION] [(folk returns, beat softens)] Took years to feel safe Even when I was housed Funny how freedom Can feel dangerous now But I wouldn’t trade it Not a scar, not a mile Guess who’s crying now? Yeah… not me - I smile [(soft echo, whispered)] Homeless… not hopeless…
