[INTRO — old soul sample, faint piano, no drums] When my father died… Everybody told me, “You gotta stay strong.” So I did. At least… I thought I did. [quiet child’s voice] Dad’s not coming back? MAN: No. CHILD: Then who’s gonna protect us? [BEAT DROPS] [VERSE 1] When I lost my father, something happened in my brain, It wasn’t only sadness, wasn’t something I could name, My mind went into panic like the walls were closing in, Like the man that I had been disappeared along with him. I still went to work, Still laughed when I should laugh, Still answered, “Yeah, I’m good,” When people stopped and asked. But I was moving through the days without actually being there, Body going through the motions— Mind somewhere scared. And I couldn’t understand it, I’m a grown man, why the fear? Why’d the world become so different just because he wasn’t here? Then a voice I hadn’t heard since I was probably ten Started whispering from inside— CHILD: We’re alone again. [DRUMS CUT] MAN: …What? CHILD: I said we’re alone again. [HOOK — haunting soul vocal opens up] I’m trying to find my way back home, But home don’t feel the same, I’ve been walking through this life Like somebody stole my name. Dad, I know I’m grown, But something changed when you left— I lost more than my father. I lost a piece of myself. Now I’m searching through the darkness, Trying to understand— How do I become myself again without my old man? [VERSE 2 — stripped drums, heavier bass] I started fearing things that never bothered me before, Second-guessing every step before I walked out through the door, Mind racing through scenarios that probably wouldn’t come, Heart telling me to run— when there was nowhere I could run from. That’s when I realized: Grief didn’t make me weak. It opened up a room I thought I’d buried underneath. And sitting in the corner was the child I used to be, Looking terrified— And staring directly back at me. CHILD: Where’s Dad? MAN: He’s gone. CHILD: Go get him. MAN: I can’t. CHILD: You always fix everything. MAN: Not this. CHILD: Then I’m scared. MAN: … Me too. [COMPLETE SILENCE] [VERSE 3 — piano and drums slowly return] That might’ve been the first time I admitted what was true: There was still a little boy inside who needed his father too. See, age don’t kill the child, We just cover him with years, Responsibilities and bills, Families and careers. We grow shoulders broad enough that everybody else can lean, So nobody ever asks us what those shoulders really mean. Then the man who made you feel like somehow things would be alright Closes his eyes forever— And suddenly you’re scared at night. That’s grief. Not just crying. Not a funeral or stone. It’s discovering somebody’s presence was part of how you felt at home. [HOOK — drums hit much harder] I’m trying to find my way back home, But home don’t feel the same, I’ve been walking through this life Like somebody stole my name. Dad, I know I’m grown, But something changed when you left— I lost more than my father. I lost a piece of myself. But maybe finding my way back doesn’t mean becoming who I was… Maybe I gotta meet the man I’m becoming because you’re gone. [VERSE 4 — THE TURN] CHILD: So who’s gonna protect us now? MAN: Me. CHILD: You said you’re scared. I am. Courage was never living without fear inside your chest, Maybe courage is being terrified and taking one more step. Dad didn’t raise me so I’d stop when he was gone. Everything he put inside me didn’t leave when he moved on. His voice is in my judgment. His lessons in my hands. The way I love my family— That’s where I find that man. Maybe I’ve been searching for the person I once knew, When the man I need to become is already coming through. So come here, little boy. You don’t have to disappear. I’m not gonna shame you just because you’re living here. You can miss him. You can cry. You can wish that he came back. But give me your hand— We’re gonna find our way back. [FINAL HOOK — full soul sample, huge drums] I’m gonna find my way back home, Even if home has changed, Even if I carry scars That never go away. Dad, I finally understand What you were trying to make— You weren’t raising me to live beneath your shadow… You were raising me to stand when you were taken away. And when that little child asks me, “Who’s gonna protect us now?” I look inside the mirror… And say, “I am.” [OUTRO — drums disappear, piano remains] CHILD: Do you think Dad would recognize us? MAN: Yeah. CHILD: How do you know? MAN: Because every good thing left in me… He helped put there. [distant soul vocal] Dad… [vinyl fades]
