House of Echoes - Duet version

[Verse 1 – James (half-sung, half-spoken)] Mum had her dreams in a bottle of fame, Lipstick stains on the edge of a frame. Dad had his heart down a whiskey drain, And I swore I’d never be the same. [Jessica : (softly, echoing)] Never be the same... [Verse 2 – Jessica (spoken, then melodic)] Heard her heels on the tiles, Her dreams on trial, She said, “One day kids, I’ll make it worthwhile.” But all we got were empty nights, Trading fights for lullabies. [Bridge – both (spoken, overlapping)] James: We built our own escape, in the cracks of the mirror they made. Jessica: We found our voice inside the noise, and learned how to stay brave. [Chorus – both (sung with emotion)] From the ashes, from the noise, We built our truth, we found our voice. The house of echoes can’t hold us now, We broke the curse, we took the vow. [Verse 3 – James (intense spoken-word/rap)] Nights got long, walls got thin, Mum was out chasing spotlights again. Dad came home with that wild-eyed grin, And I learned to hide the fear under my skin. Jessica (softly, under him): We learned to hide, we learned to bend, But the music saved us in the end. [Verse 4 – Jessica (rhythmic spoken, then rising)] I used to sing just to block it out, Turn pain into rhythm, fear into sound. You’d play your bass, and I’d make the sound, Two broken hearts, but we held the ground. [Bridge – soft guitar, almost spoken together] James: I don’t hate them anymore… Jessica: Not Mum, not Dad… Both: They were just ghosts in their own war. [Final Chorus – full emotion, guitar slapping rhythm] From the ashes, from the noise, We built our truth, we found our voice. The house of echoes can’t hold us now, We broke the curse — we’re singing loud. Jessica (softer, trailing): We’re singing loud... James (spoken final line): Two kids, one dream… Still healing, somehow. (Guitar fades out with one slow strum, natural reverb fills the silence.)