Stuck in hope

Verse 1 – raspy, slow, blues guitar underneath] Hope been messin’ with my inner peace Like a backroad ghost won’t let me sleep I keep holdin’ on to what I swore was real Now I’m questionin’ everything I feel Yeah I been here before, I know this pain Same damn story, different kind of rain I reach out… but there ain’t nothin’ there Just echoes hangin’ in the air ⸻ [Pre-Chorus – soulful lift] And I tell myself “boy, let it go” But that voice come back like it knows Exactly where my weakness lives And it won’t let go of it ⸻ [Chorus – big, gritty, emotional] Hope don’t let me rest, won’t set me free Got one hand on my heart, one chain on me It keeps sayin’ “hold on, don’t walk away” While it slowly breaks me day by day Hope sound sweet but it cuts so deep Like a promise I was meant to keep I let go… then I fall right through Back to what I thought was you ⸻ [Verse 2 – add southern rap cadence underneath] Yeah… Was it love or was it all in my mind? Was I readin’ truth or just readin’ signs? I built a life off a feelin’ I chased Now I’m stuck lookin’ back at a ghost I embraced Gave you parts I don’t show nobody Real talk, yeah the deep, dark body Thought if you saw me, scars and all You’d stay ten toes when it started to fall But nah… truth hit slow Like a late night burn from a shot of that old Everything I ignored, I see now Every red flag I painted gold ⸻ [Pre-Chorus – strained, emotional] I felt it breakin’ in my chest Every time I second guessed But I called it hope instead While it made its bed ⸻ [Chorus – fuller, background harmonies] Hope don’t let me rest, won’t set me free Got one hand on my heart, one chain on me It keeps sayin’ “hold on, don’t walk away” While it slowly breaks me day by day Hope sound sweet but it cuts so deep Like a promise I was meant to keep I let go… then I fall right through Back to what I thought was you ⸻ [Bridge – stripped, almost spoken with grit] Maybe hope ain’t always holy Maybe it just keeps me lonely Maybe peace is walkin’ out Even when I’m full of doubt Yeah… maybe strength ain’t holdin’ tight Maybe it’s losin’ every fight That keeps me chained to what ain’t true Even if it feels like you ⸻ [Final Chorus – powerful, resolved, choir-style backing] Hope had me bound, had me blind Had me livin’ in between the lines Now I see what it cost my soul Tryna make somethin’ whole Hope ain’t love if it breaks a man If it takes more than it ever can I ain’t drownin’ in “what could be” Nah… I’m finally choosin’ me ⸻ [Outro – gravelly, fading] Yeah… Hope… You ain’t savin’ me no more