Boys Don’t Bruise (They Break)

[Verse 1] They told me real boys don't bruise Just bleed where no one can prove Taught me pain’s a private art Wear your cracks like a broken heart You can’t cry, you can’t fall Smile wider when you lose it all Told me scars should stay unseen Hide the break, bleach it clean [Pre-Chorus] But I’m not a fortress I'm a fault line Cracking quietly All the time [Chorus] Boys don’t bruise, boys just break Silent ache that no one takes We smile, we joke, we fake While our ribs bend ‘til they snap in place Boys don’t bruise They just break [Verse 2] Buttoned shirts and stitched-up grins Praise the boys who never win Clap for wounds they’ll never show Love the brave who’ll never know [Pre-Chorus] I’m not stainless I'm stained deep Smiling like It doesn't bleed [Chorus – repeat with heavier drums] Boys don’t bruise, boys just break Silent ache that no one takes We smile, we joke, we fake While our ribs bend ‘til they snap in place Boys don’t bruise They just break [Bridge – whispered, vulnerable] I wore a mask until it grew Now I don’t know what’s true [Final Chorus – stripped down then explode] Boys don’t bruise, boys just break Cry inside for heaven’s sake We laugh, we drink, we shake Still bending till our bodies break Boys don’t bruise... They just break