Yeah. I seen this before. Not my story. But I know it by heart. Two women. One man. Same ending. Every time. VERSE 1 (Rei — observer, steady flow, cinematic) I know her name, I seen the pictures in his phone A faded hoodie in the back of his closet, left alone And I ain't the one who's lovin' him, I'm just the one who sees The way he moves, the way he talks, the way he leaves I watch from the outside, I'm the fly on the wall I see the rise, I see the fall, I see it all He got a woman now who thinks she's the only one But there's a ghost in the room and she don't know where it's from I see her scrollin' through his phone when he's asleep I see her findin' things she wish she never seen I see her buildin' a life on a foundation of sand And I see the other woman who already understand PRE-CHORUS (Rei — flow slows, voice drops) And I don't wanna be the one to say I told you so But I been watchin' this movie and I already know the show She's standin' here before you, not as enemy or friend Just a woman tryna understand the story before it ends CHORUS (Rei — melodic, aching, observer's perspective) He says the past is like a river, it just flows on by And she's the shore he finally stopped to rest his tired mind on He says the future is a garden, they plantin' seeds tonight But I see the ghost of someone else when he turns off the light VERSE 2 (Rei — flow hardens, more detailed, cinematic) I seen the other one too. The one who came before. She was the one who held him down when he was nothin' but war She was the shelter in the storm, she was the roof in the rain She was the one who taught him how to love and then he changed And I watched her rebuild herself when he walked away I watched her learn to breathe again, I watched her learn to pray And now she see him with somebody new and she don't even flinch 'Cause she already know the ending, she already been in this trench And the new one? She don't know. She think she different. She think she special. She think she the one he'll finally commit to. But I seen the pattern. I seen the cycle. I seen the game. And I can't say nothin' 'cause it ain't my place to name What everybody seein' but nobody wanna say That he'll love her like the sunshine then he'll leave her like the rain PRE-CHORUS (Rei — voice cracking, then strengthening) And I learned somethin' from watchin' from the outside lookin' in The shore he rests on now was built by hands that kept him warm then She patched the sails, she bailed the water, she weathered every gale And when he finally found the sunlight, he set a different sail CHORUS (Rei — full voice, observer's harmony) He says the past is like a river, it just flows on by And she's the shore he finally stopped to rest his tired mind on He says the future is a garden, they plantin' seeds tonight But I see the ghost of someone else when he turns off the light VERSE 3 (Rei — flow shifts, vulnerable, almost whispered) I see both of them. The before and the now. One who built him up, one who's holdin' him down. One who know the truth, one who's still in the dark. One who healed the wound, one who's about to get a scar. And I can't lie, I see myself in both of them A woman who gave everything to a man who never knew then What he had. What he lost. What he left behind. Two women in a cycle that he keeps on rewind. What if she's just the next chapter in a book he'll never finish? What if all the love she give him, he'll just slowly diminish? What if the shore he rests on now becomes another ghost? Another woman's story, another faded photo? BRIDGE (Rei — beat drops out, just piano and voice) I don't want her to hate him But I need her to know the truth I think she already do She just don't wanna lose He'll love her like the sunshine But he'll leave her like the rain And she'll be standin' in the wreckage Tryna find herself again MUSICAL INTERLUDE Strings swell. The 808s return. The beat rebuilds. Rei takes a breath. Then she snaps. FINAL CHORUS (Rei — defiant, liberated, full power) HE SAYS THE PAST IS LIKE A RIVER! IT JUST FLOWS ON BY! BUT SHE IS NOT A SHORE! SHE IS THE OCEAN! SHE IS THE SKY! HE SAYS THE FUTURE IS A GARDEN! WELL SHE PLANTIN' FOR HERSELF! SHE IS NOT A CHAPTER IN THE STORY OF SOMEONE ELSE! SHE IS NOT A GHOST! SHE IS NOT A SCAR! SHE IS THE SUN! SHE IS THE SUN! SHE IS THE SUN! OUTRO (Rei — soft, resolved, over fading piano) I know your name... And I know hers too... Y'all not enemies... Y'all never were... Just two women who loved the same man... And lost yourselves in him... And found yourselves again... (Pause. A breath. Then, whispered:) ...PoloEnergy. (Final piano note rings out. Silence.)
