The Outlaw (Remix)You Don't Know my dark

[INTRO - SPOKEN] I heard what you said before you left. You think you're saving me by disappearing into your darkness. But you don't know my story. I was never scared of dark. [VERSE 1] I grew up where silence had a sound, Mama cried while bottles hit the ground. Daddy disappeared, came back mean and cold. I learned young that love could lose its hold. I slept with shoes beside my bed, Just in case we had to run. I learned to read a grown man's face. I kept my little sister close When the shouting filled the hall. I've been walking through the fire Since I was hardly grown. [PRE-CHORUS] You saw my smile, never saw the scars. You heard my laughter, never heard my prayers. You think your past could ruin me, But you don't know what I've seen. [CHORUS] You don't have to leave me Just because you're scared. You don't have to disappear Like nobody ever cared. I've got demons too They just don't own me. I've lived through darker places And I still found my way out. If you're riding that lonely road, Turn those headlights back to me. Come home and let me see. [VERSE 2] My first love wore a sweet smile Till I wouldn't bend. He called it love when he checked my phone, Called jealousy his friend. He'd swear he'd never hurt me, Then blame me for what he did. I left with twenty dollars, One suitcase and a scar. Then another man promised I could trust, But some say forever when it's tough. So I locked my feelings Behind a heart of steel. Then you came along And somehow made me feel. [PRE-CHORUS 2] You touched my hand, I didn't pull away. For two short months I believed Someone with a broken past could still choose me. [VERSE 3 — COUNTRY RAP] You think I don't know midnight? I know tires leaving, I know doors that slam. Know what it's like to count your cash And love somebody who ain't strong enough to keep. I don't need a perfect man Or a spotless past. No fairy tale. Give me truth. Give me scars. Give me what you hide. If you're gonna run, Let me run by your side. You ain't gotta be my hero. Just don't choose what I can handle. I know what broken looks like. I know what fear can do. [BRIDGE — STRIPPED] You left a note beside my coffee, Said you loved me too damn much. Said the man you used to be Was somebody I shouldn't touch. But you don't get to decide What I'm strong enough to bear. You don't get to call it loving me When you're leaving me standing there. I would've told you everything: The little girl I was, The nights I couldn't sleep, The men who taught me love could cut that deep. Every road I walked alone. I survived them all. [SAXOPHONE SOLO — NO VOCALS] DROP ALL VOCALS. Sparse piano and guitar. Sax begins fragile, breathy, almost crying. Banjo, fiddle, bass and slow drums enter. Sax grows gritty, bluesy and growling. Deep bends, raw cries, long aching notes. Let it tell her childhood, heartbreak, survival, and the love she still wants. Build to a huge Southern-soul climax— pain turning into strength. One final sax note— FULL BAND CRASHES BACK IN. [FINAL CHORUS — BIG] You don't have to leave me Just because you're scared. You don't have to disappear Like nobody ever cared. You say you're trying to save me, But baby, let me choose. I've already walked through hell I know exactly what I can lose. You think your past will break me, But mine already tried. I don't need you perfect, outlaw, I just need you by my side. If you're on that dark road, Turn that motorcycle around. Come back to the porch light. [outro — WHISPERED] You wanted me to remember you As the man you were... But I want the man who tells truth. So come home. Tell me everything. I'll tell you mine. Maybe two broken hearts Can understand. You thought you were leaving To keep your darkness from me... But baby I was already standing In the dark with you. I'm still here.