[Verse 1 - intimate, flowing vocal over muted piano and deep bass] I know how to keep it together When somebody else comes undone. How to find the right thing to tell them, How to stay until the worst has passed. I know how to carry the quiet, How to notice what nobody says. I can make a little room for everyone And leave myself whatever is left. So when you asked if I was okay, I gave you the answer I always give. You looked at me like you knew better, But you did not push your way in. You just moved a little closer And waited for me to quit pretending. [Pre-Chorus - drums pull back, low cello enters] I am good at being needed. I am terrible at needing anything. I know how to hold everybody else. I never learned How to lean. [Chorus - warm, melodic, driven by bass and cello] I knew how to brace for impact. I never learned to fall. You held me like my breaking Did not burden you at all. You did not try to fix me. You did not tell me to be strong. You just stayed beneath the weight Until it did not feel so hard. I spent my whole life catching Anything about to hit the ground. I never knew a soft landing Till you were around. [Verse 2 - slightly warmer, steady groove] I am used to saying, “I’ve got it,” Before anyone can offer a hand. Used to making myself useful So nobody has to understand. But you notice when I get quieter. You notice when I start to pull away. You do not make me explain every feeling Before you decide that you can stay. Sometimes it is just your hand at my back When I am trying to breathe through the day. Sometimes you pull me against you And somehow that is enough to make All the tension I have been carrying Feel a little less like mine alone. [Second Chorus - fuller harmony, still restrained] I knew how to brace for impact. I never learned to fall. You held me like my breaking Did not burden you at all. You never called me fragile. Never made me feel ashamed. You let me be exhausted Without asking me to change. I spent my whole life catching Everyone before they hit the ground. I never knew a soft landing Could feel like this somehow. [Bridge - natural lead, muted piano and cello] Maybe this is why it scares me. Giving is easy. Receiving feels exposed. When somebody needs me, I know exactly who to be. But when you ask what I need, There is nowhere left to hide Behind being useful, Being capable, Being fine. And maybe love is not rescuing. Maybe it is quieter than that. A hand reaching out Without making me feel weak For reaching back. [Final Chorus - strongest emotional delivery, no oversized lift] I still know how to brace for impact. I probably always will. But now I know that falling Does not mean I have failed. You do not have to save me. You do not have to make me whole. Just let me put some of the weight down When I cannot carry it alone. I spent my whole life catching Anything about to hit the ground. Now when I feel myself slipping, I know I can reach out. You never asked me to be helpless. You never needed me to break. You just made somewhere softer For the parts of me that ache. [Outro - low natural vocal, muted piano and one cello phrase] You did not save me. You just stayed Beneath the fall. Turns out That was enough.
