# WORDS I NEVER HEARD **Verse 1** I learned to read between the silence, Every pause became a prayer. Searching every conversation For a sign that I was there. I brought home all the broken pieces, Hoping they'd be worth your time. But every mountain that I climbed Just moved the finish line. **Pre-Chorus** I wasn't chasing medals, I wasn't asking for the sky. Just four simple words That never came alive. **Chorus** *"I'm proud of you, son."* Four words that never crossed the air. Echoes of a sentence That was never there. So I learned to build my own applause, To stand when no one would. Still wondering if I'd be different If I'd heard those words. *"I'm proud of you, son."* **Verse 2** Every paycheck, every project, Every late night on my own. Every scar I kept together Built a house that never felt like home. People see the work I'm doing, They say I'm strong, they say I'm driven. They don't know I'm still that kid Waiting to be seen. **Bridge** Maybe you thought I already knew. Maybe you never learned those words yourself. Maybe the silence wasn't hatred... Just another inheritance. But silence still leaves bruises That no one else can see. **Final Chorus** *"I'm proud of you, son."* I still imagine how it'd sound. Would it lift this weight I've carried? Would it finally set me down? Maybe I'll never hear it. Maybe that's just how it goes. But if I'm lucky enough to have a son someday, He'll never have to wonder. He'll never have to earn it. He'll never spend his life Chasing four words through the dark. Because before he ever asks... I'll already be saying, **"I'm proud of you, son."**
