[INTRO — spoken] Hey... Can I tell you something? You say "sorry" a lot. For things that aren't yours. For feelings you're allowed to have. For taking up space. You don't have to do that with me. [VERSE 1] Stop saying sorry every time that you speak, Like having an opinion means you're starting something deep. Stop checking every word before you let it leave your mouth, Like somebody's waiting there to turn the whole thing around. I see it. That little hesitation. That second where you're wondering if you need an explanation. You don't. You don't owe the room a reason that you're here. You don't have to make yourself smaller just to keep somebody near. How long did you live like that? Walking on glass? Learning how to read a room before you even relaxed? You got so good at keeping everybody else okay you started treating your own feelings like they're somehow in the way. [HOOK] Stop saying sorry. You didn't do anything wrong. Stop saying sorry for finally getting strong. You don't have to whisper. You don't have to shrink. You don't need permission to feel what you feel or think what you think. So stop saying sorry every time you take up space. You were never too much. He just made you feel that way. [VERSE 2] I hear you defend him before anybody even speaks. "I know, but" There it is. Every fucking week. "I know, but he's hurting." "I know, but he's mad." "I know, but maybe I shouldn't have said that." Listen to yourself. You're carrying both sides. His anger gets a reason while your pain gets minimized. He gets to lose control, you get to question your tone. He gets every excuse and somehow you carry it home. Nah. Put that shit down. It was never yours. You don't have to keep accepting blame just to keep somebody calm. Being kind doesn't mean you have to disappear. And loving somebody never meant you had to live in fear of being heard. [HOOK] Stop saying sorry. You didn't do anything wrong. Stop saying sorry for finally getting strong. You don't have to whisper. You don't have to shrink. You don't need permission to feel what you feel or think what you think. So stop saying sorry every time you take up space. You were never too much. He just made you feel that way. [VERSE 3 — beat gets heavier] And I know It's easy for me to say. When somebody spends long enough making you question every day, You start hearing their voice even when they ain't around. You start cutting your own wings before somebody pulls you down. That's the part I need you to see. He doesn't have to be standing there to make you feel three feet. 'Cause now you do it for him. You shrink before the fight. You apologize for breathing. You rehearse what you say at night. You ask, "Am I being selfish?" No. "Am I asking too much?" No. "Maybe I should've just" NO. There. Right there. That's what I'm talking about. That instinct to blame yourself before you even figure it out. You don't have to earn the right to say you're hurt. You don't have to prove that your feelings have worth. [BRIDGE — music drops, intimate] Look at me. You are allowed to say no. You're allowed to be angry. You're allowed to change your mind. You're allowed to have boundaries without writing a five-page apology for why they're there. And you're allowed... to stop explaining yourself to someone committed to misunderstanding you. [FINAL VERSE — warm, building] I don't need you tougher. I don't need you cold. I don't want what happened turning your heart into stone. Keep the woman who cares. Keep the woman who feels. Keep every soft part of you that's honest and real. Just stop handing out apologies for the space that you fill. Stop mistaking keeping peace for surrendering your will. You don't need to become somebody new when this is through. I just want you to remember the woman that was always you. Before the doubt. Before walking on eggshells. Before every conversation became a trial against yourself. She's still there. I swear to God, she's still there. And maybe right now you don't see her anywhere. That's okay. I'll remind you until you finally do. But there's one thing I need you to stop doing [FINAL HOOK] Stop saying sorry for having a voice. Stop saying sorry for making a choice. Stop saying sorry for needing some room. Stop saying sorry for not being consumed. Stop saying sorry for finally saying "enough." Stop saying sorry for knowing you're worth more than this. And please Stop saying sorry for taking up space. You were never too much. He just needed you small. [OUTRO — spoken softly] So the next time "sorry" starts climbing up your throat... Ask yourself: "What did I actually do wrong?" And if you can't name it... don't say it.
