They said I was born bent. A nail that wouldn't sit straight. They kept swinging. I stayed. Every morning, boots still wet, Another bill I can't pay yet. Some days getting out of bed Takes every bit of strength I've left. They swing their words like they swing their fists, Then tell me I'm too sensitive. I used to think they must be right. I don't believe them all the time. I ain't the fire. I'm what it couldn't take. You can leave a mark Without deciding what I make. Let the hammer fall on me. Let the sparks fly endlessly. You can leave another scar. You don't get to say what scars mean. Let the whole world count me out. I can live without that crowd. I'll rise, not perfectly. There's still something here worth keeping. They told me silence kept me safe. I bit my tongue till I lost the taste. Now my voice shakes when I speak. I let it shake. It speaks for me. I've walked home with leaking shoes, Lost more than I thought I'd lose. Some nights I sit beside the door, Too tired to call it strength anymore. Don't mistake that for surrender. I can rest and still refuse. I don't owe another beating To the strength I've had to use. Let the hammer fall on me. Let the sparks fly endlessly. You can leave another scar. You don't get to say what scars mean. Let the whole world count me out. I can live without that crowd. I'll rise, not perfectly. There's still something here worth keeping. No, I wasn't born for this. I was born. That should have been enough. I don't have to thank the hands That taught me how to flinch at love. There's a shape beneath the damage That I've barely had the chance to know. I've spent years just bracing. Now I want to build a home. Let the hammer fall on me. Let the sparks fly endlessly. You can leave another scar. You don't get to say what scars mean. Let the whole world count me out. I can live without that crowd. I'll rise, not perfectly. And what comes next belongs to me. Still bent. Still here. I set the hammer down. I've got a life to build.
