[Intro – 0:00] (Very quiet. Dry, military-style snare rolls only — tight, sharp, no reverb, left-side focused, like a solitary march in an empty hall. Slow and deliberate. No other instruments yet. Just the snare. Let it establish for 8–12 seconds before the voice enters.) You said “forever…” And I believed you…. [Verse 1] (Still only the military snare rolling underneath. Voice enters extremely intimate, close-mic, soft and breathy, almost spoken. Pain is quiet and controlled.) I flew on the wings of the butterflies in my belly… I hung on the corners of your smile…. Didn’t realize then that you Were putting a noose around my neck with every mile… I cried to you nightly… Bared my soul entirely… Thought you were a knight with armor shining brightly… But instead you closed your hands around my neck tightly… [Refrain 1 – first “I couldn’t breathe”] (Snare continues soft and steady. Voice stays quiet, breathy, fragile, almost a whisper. No power yet. Pure vulnerability.) I couldn’t breathe… I couldn’t breathe… I couldn’t breathe with you sitting there beside me… [Verse 2] (Military snare gets slightly louder and more insistent, but still the only real rhythmic element. A very low, distant drone or single muted piano note can enter. Voice remains raw and intimate.) You said “forever…” And I wore it like a crown… I kept flying on those butterflies Even while you were pulling me down… I cried to you nightly… Gave you every piece of me… Thought the shining armor meant protection… But your hands only learned how to squeeze… [Refrain 2 – second “I couldn’t breathe”] (Snare is now more prominent. Voice starts to push — still breathy but with growing tension and strain. Not belting yet, but the cracks and emotion are louder.) I couldn’t breathe… I couldn’t breathe… I couldn’t breathe with you sitting there beside me… [Chorus / Manifesto] (Arrangement stays controlled. Soft low strings or sparse piano can enter, but no full band. Voice is emotional and open, but still not the peak.) My chest rises, my eyes are open, technically alive but entirely broken… You were the fault line where I fractured… Looking okay, but a living disaster… [Bridge] (Everything drops back to just the military snare and voice. Almost spoken, intimate, manifesto-like. Pure tension.) You never had to raise your voice… You just kept walking… And every mile tightened the rope a little more… I kept smiling for you… Kept calling it love… While the air left my lungs one quiet apology at a time… [Refrain 3 – third and final “I couldn’t breathe”] (This is the release. Military snare becomes aggressive and driving. Full emotional explosion in the voice. She belts every line with everything she has — raw, cracked, desperate, powerful. No holding back.) I couldn’t breathe! I couldn’t breaaaaathe! I couldn’t breathe with you sitting there beside me! [Final Chorus] (Only now, in the last section, does the arrangement open up more — still not a chaotic explosion, but a heavy, controlled swell under her full-power vocal.) My chest rises, my eyes are open, technically alive but entirely broken… You were the fault line where I fractured… Looking okay… but a living disaster! Looking okay… but a living disaster! [Outro] (Everything falls away again. Only the original quiet military snare rolls remain. Voice returns to a broken whisper.) You said “forever…” And I believed you…
