(Intro — A single piano key. Distant static. A heartbeat fading in and out. A tired, hollow breath.) I'm older now... Wiser? I don't know... But I've learned one thing... Love is a tool... And tools can build... Or tools can bleed you dry... (beat drops — slow, heavy, like blood dripping) --- (Verse 1) I'm older now than the kid who used to believe In a perfect world where love didn't leave Where hearts didn't break and promises weren't empty Where people didn't use the things you gave them against you But I grew up fast, learned the hard way That love is a blade that cuts both ways I'm sorry for the hurt I caused Not to them — to myself, for letting the doors stay open For letting the wolves wear sheep's clothing For giving the tool to people who only knew how to break things I thought love was supposed to heal But nobody told me it could be weaponized Nobody told me the same hands that hold you Can be the hands that fold you into something unrecognizable --- (Pre-Chorus) Love — the tool to hurt me Love — the tool to heal Same word, same weight, same feel One builds a home, one burns the field And I've been standing in the ashes wondering which one is real --- (Chorus) I bleed for the ones who said they'd stay I bleed for the trust I gave away Love is still a tool — for hurt or to heal And I've felt both ends of the steel In a perfect world, this wouldn't happen In a perfect world, I wouldn't be asking Why the same thing that's supposed to save me Is the same thing that made me Bleed Bleed --- (Verse 2) I've held love like a newborn — gentle, careful, scared And I've held love like a grenade — pin pulled, prepared For the explosion, for the fallout, for the "I told you so" Because every time I let it in, it finds a new way to go Wrong, sideways, backwards, out the door Leaving me older than I was before Not in years — in wear, in tear, in the soul Love ages you fast when it's out of control And I'm sorry for the hurt I caused myself By trusting people who only cared about themselves By giving the tool to the unskilled hands Who didn't know how to build — only how to dismantle Now I'm older, now I see Love isn't the enemy — it's the user that makes it bleed The same fire that warms the house burns it down The same water that saves you lets you drown --- (Pre-Chorus) Love — the tool to hurt me Love — the tool to heal Same hands, same touch, same feel One holds you close, one makes you kneel And I've been on both sides trying to figure out what's real --- (Chorus) I bleed for the ones who said they'd stay I bleed for the trust I gave away Love is still a tool — for hurt or to heal And I've felt both ends of the steel In a perfect world, this wouldn't happen In a perfect world, I wouldn't be asking Why the same thing that's supposed to save me Is the same thing that made me Bleed Bleed --- (Bridge — Everything drops. Just a heartbeat. A whisper. The most honest confession.) I'm older now... Not healed, not fixed, not whole... But I'm learning... That a tool isn't evil — it's the hand that holds it... That love isn't the wound — it's the one who wields it... And maybe... just maybe... I can learn to hold it right... Not as a weapon... not as a shield... Just as what it is... A tool... For hurt or to heal... And I choose heal... (beat slowly returns — building, not breaking) Even if my hands are shaking... Even if I've bled before... I'm still here... Still holding the tool... Still trying to build something that lasts... --- (Final Chorus — Swelling, emotional, but not desperate — determined.) I bleed for the ones who taught me pain But I heal for the ones who called my name Love is still a tool — for hurt or to heal And I'm learning which one is real In a perfect world, I'd never break In a perfect world, I'd never ache But this ain't a perfect world — it's just mine And I'm choosing to heal this time Bleed I'm done bleeding Bleed I'm choosing healing --- (Outro — Piano fading. A heartbeat — steady now. A final, tired but steady whisper.) I'm older now... Love is still a tool... And I'm learning how to use it... Not to hurt... Not to bleed... But to build... (heartbeat) (piano) (silence)
