He grew up on the west side, Where the windows faced a wall, Mama said, “Keep your head down, Dreams don’t answer when you call.” So he learned to walk in silence, With his future in his hands, But every time he reached for something, He heard, “That’s not for a man like that.” Clocking in at sunrise, Coming home with tired eyes, Everybody called it living, But something in him asked him why. [Pre-Chorus] Then one night in the mirror, He saw more than skin and scars, He said, “Maybe I’m not broken, Maybe I’ve been reading from the dark.” And the voice that kept him smaller Started sounding like a lie, He whispered to the ceiling, “I can change what I decide.” [Chorus] What you believe, you become, Like a river learns the shape of where it runs. What you believe, you will see, Every locked door or every hidden key. If the story in your chest Says you’re more than where you’ve been, You’ll rise up from the ashes And begin again. Oh, what you believe, What you believe, Can set you free. Verse 2] She was sitting in the front row, With a notebook and a name, Teacher said, “You’re gifted,” But she heard, “Don’t make mistakes.” So she colored inside the lines, Kept her fire tucked away, Said, “I’m fine” a thousand times, While her courage turned to gray. Then life came like thunder, Took the plans out of her hands, And standing in the ruins, She found a place to stand. [Pre-Chorus 2] She wrote down every sentence That had taught her how to hide, Crossed out “I’m not ready,” Wrote, “I’m learning how to fly.” And the fear didn’t leave her, But it moved out of the way, When she finally told her heartbeat, “You don’t have to be afraid.” [Chorus] What you believe, you become, Like a river learns the shape of where it runs. What you believe, you will see, Every locked door or every hidden key. If the story in your chest Says you’re more than where you’ve been, You’ll rise up from the ashes And begin again. Oh, what you believe, What you believe, Can set you free. [Post-Chorus / Hook] Na-na, not the chains, not the fear, Not the voice that got you here, You can rewrite what you mean When you say, “This is me.” Na-na, take the doubt, let it breathe, Turn the pain into belief, You’re not trapped inside the dream, You can wake up and lead. [Bridge] Belief is a seed in the ground, You don’t see it, but it’s working underneath. It can grow into a cage, It can grow into a tree. And every choice is water, Every step becomes a sign, You don’t change it all in one day, But one day starts with one new line. So tell the child inside you, Who was taught to disappear, “We are not what happened, We are what we practice here.” Say it loud when your hands shake, Say it low when no one sees, “I am allowed to change my mind, I am allowed to believe.” [Final Chorus] What you believe, you become, Like a river learns the shape of where it runs. What you believe, you will see, Every locked door or every hidden key. If the story in your chest Says you’re more than where you’ve been, You’ll rise up from the ashes And begin again. Oh, what you believe, What you believe, Can set you free. [Outro] He opened up the window, She stepped into the street, Two strangers in the morning, With new ground beneath their feet. And the world was not much different, But their eyes had learned to see: You don’t just live what happens, You live what you believe.
