**Title: Barbies and Hairpins** **Verse 1** Pink room. Locked door. Stars on the ceiling. Small hands. Big world. Too much feeling. I learned to smile With fear in my teeth. Learned to stay quiet When I wanted to scream. Mama said, “Go play.” So I played pretend. Sat with my dolls And called them my friends. Tea cups. Cracked dreams. Plastic little lives. I brushed their hair While hiding mine. **Pre-Chorus** Nobody asked Why the lights stayed on. Nobody asked Where the laughter had gone. I was too small For the weight I hid. Too old in my eyes For a little kid. **Chorus** I’m just a child With my nightmares. I’m just a girl With Barbies And hairpins. I’m just a child, Still bleeding out From where the world Dug in. I just wanna play All day, Acting like a zombie. Smile with my doll face, Don’t let it haunt me. I’m just a child With my nightmares. I’m just a girl With Barbies And hairpins. **Verse 2** Blue dress. Bare feet. Cold hallway. Monsters don’t hide When they know Where you stay. Blankets and chairs Made a little house. I whispered my prayers And never came out. Lip gloss at nine, Like armor and shine. Ribbons tied tight Like I was fine. Maybe they saw. Maybe they didn’t. Maybe grown people Don’t look at children. **Pre-Chorus 2** Nobody knew What the silence cost. Nobody knew What the mirror lost. I was too young To know how to grieve. So I taught my toys How to sleep beside me. **Chorus** I’m just a child With my nightmares. I’m just a girl With Barbies And hairpins. I’m just a child, Still bleeding out From where the world Dug in. I just wanna play All day, Acting like a zombie. Smile with my doll face, Don’t let it haunt me. I’m just a child With my nightmares. I’m just a girl With Barbies And hairpins. **Bridge** Don’t tell me To grow up. I already did. I grew through the floorboards And still stayed a kid. Don’t tell me It’s over. My body remembers. Some fires go quiet And still leave embers. I keep little ghosts In a jewelry box. Hair ties. Old notes. One missing sock. I keep my pain In a pink suitcase. Drag it behind me With a grown-up face. **Breakdown** Barbies in the bathtub. Hairpins on the floor. Nightmares at the window. Child behind the door. Barbies in the bathtub. Hairpins on the floor. Nightmares at the window. I don’t wanna hurt No more. **Final Chorus** I’m just a child With my nightmares. I’m just a girl With Barbies And hairpins. I’m just a child, Still bleeding out From where the world Dug in. I just wanna play All day, Acting like a zombie. Smile with my doll face, Don’t let it haunt me. I’m just a child With my nightmares. I’m just a girl With Barbies And hairpins. **Outro** Pink room. Locked door. Stars on the ceiling. I’m not done healing. I’m not done healing.
