[Verse 1] One chromosome away, A different word beside my name. Maybe they’d have raised me louder, Maybe I’d have learned less shame. Anger might’ve sounded like conviction, Taking space might’ve made them proud. Maybe I’d have known my body Was never something I had to hand out. [Pre-Chorus] Such a small twist in the story, Such a different price to pay. Sometimes I wonder who I’d have been One chromosome away. [Chorus] One chromosome away— Would they have taught me strength instead of shame? Would my body have been mine Before I had to take it back? Would “no” have needed no defense? Would confidence have come intact? It’s strange to mourn a life That never got a name— And wonder if one chromosome Could’ve changed the whole damn game. [Verse 2] Would I have smiled without deflecting, Known my worth without a doubt? Would they have praised me for the edges They kept trying to sand out? Would stubborn have been called determined? Would demanding become drive? Would I have learned to trust myself Before I learned how to survive? [Pre-Chorus] Maybe I’d have walked in taller, Never learned to look away. Sometimes I swear I almost see him One chromosome away. [Chorus] One chromosome away— Would they have taught me strength instead of shame? Would my body have been mine Before I had to take it back? Would “no” have needed no defense? Would confidence have come intact? It’s strange to mourn a life That never got a name— And wonder if one chromosome Could’ve changed the whole damn game. [Bridge] But he was never hypothetical, Some stranger I was meant to be. Every time I stop and picture him, I recognize a part of me. He knows his worth without permission. He smiles easy, takes up space. He never makes himself the punchline Just to keep somebody safe. He might have grown up stronger, But I shouldn’t have needed strength. Fewer hands might have reached for him, Some might have stayed away. I’ll never know which wounds were waiting, Which ones were circumstance or fate— I only know no child should wonder If they were born the safer way. [Final Chorus] One chromosome away— Would they have taught me strength instead of shame? Would my body have been mine Before I had to take it back? Would “no” have needed no defense? Would confidence have come intact? It’s strange to mourn a life That never got a name— And wonder if one chromosome Could’ve changed the whole damn game.
