People Like Us

[Intro – tape hiss, soft fingerpicked guitar, faint hum of room tone] [Instrumental, 2 bars] [Verse 1 – close vocal, low and unpolished] We carry stories we don’t always tell Dad’s empty bottles, Mom’s quiet shell And the city keeps humming while we learn how to breathe Yeah, it’s messy but it’s ours to keep [Pre-Chorus – falsetto layers, fragile harmonies] No quick fix, no way out clean Just bruised hearts learning what it means [Chorus – beat comes in, vintage drum machine, warm bass] People like us don’t pray to disappear We ask for the guts just to stay right here Not for escape, but for courage enough To walk through the dark with whatever light we’ve got Yeah, people like us [Verse 2 – spoken-sung, understated guitar] There’s no golden highway, no easy town Just cracked sidewalks and words that weigh a ton But when someone whispers hope in a tired room It feels like the paint on the walls shifts too [Pre-Chorus – falsetto echoes, restrained build] No victory march, no polished hymn Just our tired voices breaking in [Chorus – more layered, still lo-fi] People like us don’t pray to disappear We ask for the guts just to stay right here Not for escape, but for courage enough To walk through the dark with whatever light we’ve got Yeah, people like us [Bridge – hushed, whispered, almost spoken] We’re not saints, not clean, not strong But we belong, we belong, we belong [Final Chorus – shout-sung, distorted guitar swell, imperfect but honest] People like us don’t pray to disappear We ask for the guts just to stay right here Not for escape, but for courage enough To walk through the dark with whatever light we’ve got Yeah, people like us People like us [Outro – tape hiss lingers, single guitar note fades out]