[Intro: filtered synth chords, rubbery bass, tight kick, glossy guitar chop, gradual filter opening] [Verse 1: rhythmic spoken-sung, low warm baritone, confident and conversational] We were young enough to call it forever, Rich in love and poor in all the rest, Till a sentence slid across the table Like a bill for being their guest. So I packed the little that was mine And I left them in the cold, Tried to glue it back with whiskey — But the whiskey never holds. [Pre-Chorus: melody begins to rise, filter opens, groove brightens] Hard times don't wait for healing, Life keeps moving while you mend. So I got up and I got working, Work's a rough but honest friend. [Chorus: fully melodic mantra, bright and addictive, layered call-and-response] Still in one piece, still in one piece, Still in one piece, still in one piece, Still in one piece, still in one piece, Still in one piece, still in one piece — [Break: beat cuts, filter closes, close-mic voice] Glued with gold... [Chorus Tag: bass and beat snap back, stacked vocals] Still in one piece. [Verse 2: rhythmic spoken-sung, bass more playful, subtle guitar syncopation] Found a voice I never planned for, Talking to the night through a microphone, Not the teacher I had trained to be — But the words were mine alone. And the crack is still there, showing, In the way I still prepare: So I keep my pockets heavy, Like the bill is always there. [Pre-Chorus: brighter lift, soft vocal doubles entering] Hard times don't wait for healing, Life keeps moving while you mend. So I got up and I got working, Work's a rough but honest friend. [Chorus: stronger call-and-response, wider harmonies, filter fully open] Still in one piece, still in one piece, Still in one piece, still in one piece, Still in one piece, still in one piece, Still in one piece, still in one piece — [Break: sudden near-silence, voice almost whispered] Glued with gold... [Chorus Tag: beat, bass and vocal stack return] Still in one piece. [Verse 3: relaxed swagger, rhythmic spoken-sung, lighter groove] I've moved through towns and borders, Never had a master plan. Some years hard and some years golden — I just live them while I can. Let it crack again if it has to, I've been there, I know the way. And when someone reaches for the bill now, I just let them — and I stay. [Pre-Chorus: rising melody, tension building through harmony not volume] Hard times don't wait for healing, Life keeps moving while you mend. So I got up and I got working, Work's a rough but honest friend. [Final Chorus: brightest, most physical, lead and backing vocals trading the mantra] Still in one piece, still in one piece, Still in one piece, still in one piece, Still in one piece, still in one piece, Still in one piece, still in one piece — [Break: complete drop, only breath and voice] Glued with gold... [Final Tag: full groove returns for one last hook, then clean stop] Still in one piece.
