--🎩🦧👍-- [Check out Ape Lincoln on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music, and wherever else music is streaming!] https://www.youtube.com/@ape_lincoln_music https://open.spotify.com/artist/1zs0wlh46nJtqCxsBtxcCC?si=T8fcaYG0QVij5emj5UBQ_w --🎩🦧👍-- Lyrics written by Ape Lincoln ©️2025 [Intro — soft, close, acoustic setup] --- [Verse 1 — gentle, intimate delivery] You ever wonder if you're just… done? Like, “shit, maybe this is the last one.” I don’t say it out loud, but it hits sometimes, Feels like I’m runnin’ outta gas in my own damn mind. I think about it more than I’m proud to say, Like, will the next thing hit or just fade away? Everybody else looks steady and strong, And I’m here tryna act like nothin’s wrong. --- [Pre-Chorus — lifted but still restrained] And it sneaks up when the room gets quiet, All the thoughts I keep on a private diet. I tell myself, “just chill, try less,” But that shit never works, it’s just stress on stress. --- [Chorus — wide, emotional, steady rhythm] Yeah, it works for a minute, then it slips right through, And I’m lookin’ in the mirror like, “the fuck happened to you?” Tell myself I’m fine, even when I’m barely holdin’ on— Eventually you pretend you're strong. Yeah, it holds for a heartbeat, then it's gone… Every day you pretend you're strong. --- [Verse 2 — gentle return, steady flow] I let it be, but it still feels rough, And the quiet in my chest gets loud as fuck. Half the shit I promise myself don’t stick, I lose grip fast, it’s a dumb little trick. I walk forward like the road won’t snap, But some nights, man, it’s hard as crap. Truth shows up like, “hey, we talkin’ tonight?” And I’m like, “nah, not now, I ain’t built for that fight.” --- [Pre-Chorus — same lift, familiar tension] And it circles back, same damn song, Confidence saggin’ like my jeans too long. “Try less” — yeah, I’ve said that line, But it barely means shit when it’s showtime. --- [Chorus — emotional reinforcement] Yeah, it works for a minute, then it slips right through, And I’m lookin’ in the mirror like, “the fuck happened to you?” Tell myself I’m fine, even when I’m barely holdin’ on— Eventually you pretend you're strong. Yeah, it holds for a heartbeat, then it's gone… Every day you pretend you're strong. --- [Bridge — stripped-down, introspective] Maybe I’m scared of bein’ who I am, Maybe I’m scared of losin’ what I never had. But even when I fall, I still get up and move on— Even if I’m only actin’ strong. --- [Chorus — final, emotional peak] Yeah, it works for a minute, then it slips right through, And I’m lookin’ in the mirror like, “the fuck happened to you?” Tell myself I’m fine, even when I’m barely holdin’ on— Eventually you pretend you're strong. Yeah, it holds for a heartbeat, then it's gone… Every day you pretend you're strong. --- [Outro — soft, minimal close] Mm… yeah… We all just pretend we’re strong. ---
