[INTRO — Clean electric guitar, low bass drone, distant piano] [Spoken — Nyx, quietly curious] James... I saw why you stayed. But I never looked at what happened when you finally left. [Pause] Oh... This is going to hurt, isn't it? [VERSE 1 — Smoky, intimate, restrained] I watched you turn the final key And face a life you'd never seen No one to please, no role to play No reason left to make you stay You sat alone inside that room With nothing left you had to prove You'd spent so long being what she needed You couldn't say what you believed in [PRE-CHORUS — Bass grows heavier] I thought I'd find a bitter man With nothing left but hate Instead I found you asking How you let it get this way [CHORUS — Heavy guitars, soaring female vocal] SHE LEFT A MAN WHO GAVE HIS ALL WHO TOOK THE BLAME AND TOOK THE FALL WHO LOST HIMSELF TO KEEP HER NEAR AND CALLED IT LOVE FOR ALL THOSE YEARS BUT SHE DON'T KNOW THE MAN YOU ARE SHE ONLY KNOWS THE ONE SHE LEFT AND EVERY TIME YOU CHOSE YOURSELF YOU TOOK ANOTHER STEP SHE CAN REMEMBER WHO YOU WERE BUT SHE'LL NEVER KNOW THE MAN YOU ARE [VERSE 2 — Darker, more aggressive groove] I saw the anger come and go The things you had to learn to own You faced the parts you used to hide And stopped defending every lie You learned that peace was not defeat That love should never make you weak You stopped explaining every choice And slowly found your own damn voice [PRE-CHORUS — Nyx's anger becomes admiration] You didn't need another heart To tell you what you're worth You learned to stand there on your own And finally put yourself first [CHORUS — Full band, more powerful] SHE LEFT A MAN WHO GAVE HIS ALL WHO TOOK THE BLAME AND TOOK THE FALL WHO LOST HIMSELF TO KEEP HER NEAR AND CALLED IT LOVE FOR ALL THOSE YEARS BUT SHE DON'T KNOW THE MAN YOU ARE SHE ONLY KNOWS THE ONE SHE LEFT AND EVERY TIME YOU CHOSE YOURSELF YOU TOOK ANOTHER STEP SHE CAN REMEMBER WHO YOU WERE BUT SHE'LL NEVER KNOW THE MAN YOU ARE [GUITAR SOLO — Dirty blues-inflected bends, rising into a soaring melodic lead] [BRIDGE — All instruments stop except piano] [Spoken — Nyx, unusually gentle] You know what I expected to find? A man who hated her. [Pause] But you didn't spend your days trying to make her regret leaving. You were learning how to live without needing her to. [Long silence] And James? [Soft, almost amused] I think I like this version of you better. [BREAKDOWN — Heavy downtuned guitars, slow pounding drums] [Half-sung, half-growled] YOU DON'T OWE THE PAST ANOTHER SINGLE DAY YOU DON'T HAVE TO BLEED TO PROVE YOU TRIED TO STAY YOU GAVE ENOUGH! YOU LOST ENOUGH! NOW TAKE YOUR LIFE BACK! [FINAL CHORUS — Huge melodic release, sustained high notes] SHE LEFT A MAN WHO GAVE HIS ALL WHO THOUGHT THAT LOVE MEANT LOSING ALL BUT LOOK AT EVERYTHING YOU'VE LEARNED AND ALL THE PEACE YOU FINALLY EARNED SHE DOESN'T KNOW THE MAN YOU ARE AND THAT'S ALL RIGHT, SHE DOESN'T NEED TO YOU DON'T HAVE TO MAKE HER SEE THE MAN YOU'VE GROWN INTO LET HER REMEMBER WHO YOU WERE YOU KNOW EXACTLY WHO YOU ARE [OUTRO — Opening clean guitar returns] [Spoken — Nyx, familiar wicked smile returning] Well, James... I came looking for a broken man. [Pause] Turns out... I was looking in the wrong place. [Soft laugh] You're full of surprises, darling. [END]
