[INTRO] [Soft, Rhodes chords soaked in room reverb. Dusty vinyl crackle. A distant, high-pitched female vocal loop begins humming softly: "Humm humm da, da, dada..."] [CHILD CHOIR] (Sparse, lonely, single-tracked choir sound) You never asked, you only told me, You saw the anger, never saw beneath. You heard the shouting, never heard the silence, You saw a problem where you should've seen MEEee! [MALE — SPOKEN] (Close-mic, low baritone, conversational) To every kid sitting in that back row... I was you. And nobody’s talking to you. [VERSE 1 — MALE RAP] [Dry boom-bap drums drop in. Sub-bass hums beneath. Vocal loop tucked low.] To the kid at the back who avoids a response, Who rehearses a line till the patience is gone. Called dramatic the second your temper gets hot, So you bottle the truth and you lock up the lock. To the kid who gets angry before you get scared, Who laughs with the crew like you haven't a care, Go quiet at night when you're back in your room, Drowning in thoughts that you cannot exhume. You don't need a speech or a polished admission, A doctor's report or a doctor's prescription. You don't have to turn every feeling to art, Or wait till you bleed just to show 'em a heart. You're more than a mark on a register sheet, More than detention or eyes on your feet. More than a name on the corridor wall, When the deputy head makes a phone call at four. They call it a phase, say you're seeking a reaction, Then look at your grades and express dissatisfaction. They mention suspension, tension, aggression, But never once pause to inspect the impression. You sit in a room full of noise and bright lights, Pretending you're solid while losing the fight. They push for results while you're scared of mistakes, And wonder how much a foundation can take. [PRE-CHORUS — MALE / CHILD CHOIR] [Drums strip down to minimalist rimshots. Sub-bass stays. High vocal loop steps forward.] [MALE] They say they know best, [CHILD CHOIR] But they don't know the half. [MALE] They remember the shouting, [CHILD CHOIR] Forget what they asked. [MALE] You tried to explain, [CHILD CHOIR] They just told me to change— [BEAT CUT — VOCAL LOOP ONLY] [CHILD CHOIR] But nobody asked. [CHORUS — CHILD CHOIR] [Full beat returns with mid-range warmth. Choir expands into stereo width.] You never asked, you only told me, You saw the anger, never saw beneath, You heard the shouting, never heard the silence, You saw a problem where you should've seen MEEee! [CHILD CHOIR] And all these words I couldn't find, All these thoughts I kept inside, You heard everything I said, [CHILD CHOIR] But never listened to what I meant! [VERSE 2 — MALE RAP] [Restrained, clinical drum rhythm. High vocal loop heavily filtered (underwater texture).] They say that you're lazy, you're throwing away Every chance that you get, but they miss what you say. The kid who was cracking up jokes in the back Is staring at carpets and fading to black. They measure your life through a graph and a grid, Mistaking the mask for the soul of the kid. Demand that you grow, then restrict your design, Then wonder why silence became your defense line. Calling you guarded, impulsive, defensive, While staying alive is becoming expensive. You tried to speak up, they said "don't make excuses," So every conversation turns into abuses. Now I sit at this desk, and I look at your face, 'Cause I wore the same coat in this very same place. And maybe the adults are terrified too, Staring at bills with a hundred things due. Cold tea on the counter, a twelve-hour shift, Passing down damage they took as a gift. It doesn't make right what you're forced to absorb, Or mean you should fight every war on your own. You deserve to be heard without throwing a punch, Or sitting alone with your coat at your lunch. [PRE-CHORUS — MALE / CHILD CHOIR] [Beat thins out. Filter lifts off the vocal loop.] [MALE] They say they know best, [CHILD CHOIR] But they don't know the half. [MALE] They remember the shouting, [CHILD CHOIR] Forget what they asked. [MALE] You tried to explain, [CHILD CHOIR] They just told me to change— [BEAT CUT] [CHILD CHOIR] But nobody asked. [CHORUS — CHILD CHOIR] [Full beat. Deeper bass, wider choir harmonies.] You never asked, you only told me, You saw the anger, never saw beneath, You heard the shouting, never heard the silence, You saw a problem where you should've seen MEEee! [CHILD CHOIR] And all these words I couldn't find, All these thoughts I kept inside, You heard everything I said, [CHILD CHOIR] But never listened to what I meant! [BRIDGE — MALE SPOKEN] [Drums drop out completely. Soft Rhodes chords and tape hiss. Ultra-intimate vocal.] I used to think I was broken. Turns out... I was just overloaded. And there’s a massive difference Between being difficult... And having a difficult time. And somebody should've stopped. And asked. [VERSE 3 — MALE RAP] [Drums re-enter with building snare rolls and subtle sub-pulses.] The staff room is drained and the kitchen is tense, Keys slammed on the table in self-consequence. Grown-ups are drowning in mortgage and rent, But pain isn't smaller because you've no pence. You tell 'em "be open," then grade the confession, Demand their respect while you mock their impression. You preach independence from behind a wooden desk, Then label their coping a failure or threat. Screen light on their faces at two in the morn, Looking for quiet away from the storm. You call it rebellion, a lack of restraint, When it’s just a young heart trying not to faint. They aren't all angels, and rules have a place, You need a structure to survive in this space. But discipline given without any care Just teaches a child how to hide in despair. [BEAT CUT — MALE SPOKEN] [High-pitched vocal loop completely isolated, sounding distant and clean.] So if you find someone ready to listen... You don't need a speech. You don't need to make it sound pretty. Just start. [FINAL CHORUS — CHILD CHOIR] [Full cinematic instrumentation: Driving boom-bap, warm sub, shimmering pads. High vocal loop soaring.] You never asked, you only told me, You saw the anger, never saw beneath, You heard the shouting, never heard the silence, You saw a problem where you should've seen MEEee! [CHILD CHOIR + SOLO CHILD VOICE BREAKING THROUGH] And all these words I couldn't find, All these thoughts I kept inside, You heard everything I said, [CHILD SOLOIST] BUT YOU NEVER LISTENED TO WHAT I MEANT! [OUTRO — CHILD CHOIR] [Drums gradually fade away. Vocal loop and Rhodes stay.] You saw a problem where you should've seen... me. [Rhodes holds a final unresolved chord. Vocal loop sings one last quiet line alone] humm humm da, da, dada... [TURNTABLE CLICK / NEEDLE LIFTS]
