Verse 1 I learned to smile through cracked-up teeth, Laugh before the hurt could speak. Every little fracture wore The weight of battles from before. Some broke awake. Some broke in sleep. Holding on was cutting deep. No one saw the war inside, Only that I still survived. Pre-Chorus Like a puzzle on the floor, Ten thousand pieces, maybe more. Close enough to almost see... But never finding where they meet. Chorus I've lived so long with a clenched fist, Holding everything I couldn't fix. The tighter I held, the more it bled, Till my own hands became the threat. How do you open after years Of teaching every part to fear? Everyone sees who I could be... Nobody feels what's carrying me. Verse 2 Some days I disappear below, Further down than people know. Fighting battles with no face, Searching for a little grace. Logic says, "You've gone too far." Hope still flickers in the dark. I don't know how I'll find the light... I just know I have to fight. Bridge Maybe the hardest part isn't surviving. Maybe it's believing The hand that learned to close Can learn to open. Maybe healing doesn't happen All at once. Maybe it starts One step... Then another. Until the weight I've carried Isn't all that's left of me. Final Chorus I've lived so long with a clenched fist, Calling it strength, calling it this. Every scar has taught me why Even strong hands ache sometimes. If you could look beneath my skin, You'd see the war I've always been in. Everyone sees who I could be... Maybe one day I'll believe it too. Outro One step Then another. Until this heart remembers It was made to hold... Not just survive.
