[INTRO — DISTANT ELECTRIC GUITAR, LOW ORGAN, SLOW TOM PULSE] [MALE LEAD ONLY — LOW, DETACHED] For a while not feeling felt like healing. [PAUSE] Quiet enough to sleep. Flat enough to function. Nothing reached me. [PAUSE] Including me. [VERSE 1 — MALE LEAD ONLY] I turned the volume down on everything. Bad news. Good news. Anger. Joy. Kept the needle near zero and called that peace. If nothing hurt, nothing could warn me. If nothing moved me, nothing could ask anything of me. [PRE-CHORUS — MALE LEAD ONLY] But numb isn't the same as safe. And silence isn't always recovery. [CHORUS — MALE LEAD + MALE HARMONIES] MY NERVES STILL WORK! LET THEM SPEAK! PAIN ISN'T KING— BUT SOMETIMES IT KNOWS WHERE TO LOOK! MY NERVES STILL WORK! FEEL IT THROUGH! I DON'T HAVE TO LOVE THE ACHE TO LISTEN TO WHAT IT'S TRYING TO TELL ME IS TRUE! [GUITAR ANSWER] [VERSE 2 — MALE LEAD ONLY] Some pain needs treatment. Some fear needs distance. Some memories need time. Some feelings are alarms that learned to ring too loud. I don't have to obey every signal. But I should probably notice when the dashboard lights up. [PAUSE] Covering the light doesn't fix the engine. [CHORUS — MALE LEAD + MALE HARMONIES] MY NERVES STILL WORK! LET THEM SPEAK! NOT EVERY SIGNAL IS A COMMAND— BUT EVERY SIGNAL DESERVES A LOOK! MY NERVES STILL WORK! LET ME KNOW WHEN SOMETHING I KEEP CALLING FINE HAS BEEN HURTING FOR TOO LONG! [INSTRUMENTAL — LONG GUITAR SOLO, NO VOCALS] [VERSE 3 — MALE LEAD ONLY, QUIETER] Then feeling came back in pieces. Cold air on my face. A song I couldn't finish. Someone asked: "How are you?" and for once I didn't know what answer would make them leave. [PAUSE] That was progress. Uncomfortable progress. But progress. [BRIDGE — ORGAN + CLEAN GUITAR] [MALE LEAD ONLY] I don't want to drown in feeling. I don't want to worship pain. I just don't want to disappear from myself to avoid it. If something hurts, I'll ask why. If something scares me, I'll check the room. If something matters, I'll let it matter. [BUILD — DRUMS WIDEN] Feeling isn't failure. Feeling is data. Then wisdom decides what to do. [FINAL CHORUS — FULL BAND + STACKED MALE HARMONIES] MY NERVES STILL WORK! GOOD. LET THEM. LET THE SIGNAL REACH THE PLACE THAT NEEDS ATTENTION! MY NERVES STILL WORK! I'M STILL HERE! I CAN FEEL WITHOUT LETTING EVERY FEELING TAKE THE WHEEL! MY NERVES STILL WORK! NO MORE HIDING BEHIND THE QUIET I CALLED PEACE! I'D RATHER KNOW WHERE IT HURTS THAN LOSE THE PART OF ME THAT KNOWS WHEN SOMETHING NEEDS TO CHANGE! [FINAL BREAKDOWN — MALE VOICES ONLY] [MALE GROUP] PAIN! [MALE LEAD] NOTICE IT. [MALE GROUP] FEAR! [MALE LEAD] CHECK IT. [MALE GROUP] JOY! [MALE LEAD] LET IT IN. [MALE GROUP] NUMB! [MALE LEAD] NOT FOREVER. [MALE GROUP] FEEL! [MALE LEAD] THEN CHOOSE. [OUTRO — CLEAN GUITAR, LOW ORGAN] [MALE LEAD ONLY] I thought healing meant feeling nothing. [PAUSE] Turns out I needed enough feeling to know I was still here.
