Whisky Shaped Hole

[Intro – Whispered, cracked male vocal, barely holding together; soft fingerpicked guitar] A glass in my hand, and her ghost in the other Can't hold both, but I try like a sucker This room’s full of nothin’, just echoes and shame And the whiskey don’t fix it, just gives it my name [Verse 1 – Low, shaky singing with a rasp in the throat; sparse acoustic backing] Got a whiskey-shaped hole in the middle of my chest Been tryin’ to fill it with smoke, with pills, with rest But it just keeps growin’, like a scream held tight Like the last words I never said that night She left with silence, I stayed with the mess Now it’s me and the bottle and this torn-up chest Staring down pictures I can’t throw away Hopin’ maybe regret’ll forget me someday [Verse 2 – Mid-volume gritty vocals with quivering emotion; strummed acoustic tension] Used to be strong, used to be sure Now I flinch at my name like I don’t know it no more I talk to the walls, I avoid the phone Can’t stand my reflection when I’m drinkin’ alone They say grief is a thief — but I left the door wide Let it take all the good, all the love, all the pride There’s a hole in the drywall where I missed my own face Tryna punch out the pain, tryna feel outta place [Chorus – Strained melodic delivery, heavy with grit and tremble; acoustic rhythm with faint bass swells] There’s a whiskey-shaped hole where my heart used to be And I pour in the hurt ‘cause it burns like she I ain’t numb, I’m just drownin’ with rhythm and rhyme Each sip is a prayer, each line buys me time I don’t need salvation, I ain’t earned no grace Just give me her voice or the strength to erase But it’s just me and regret in this God-forsaken home And a man built of silence who can’t be alone [Verse 3 – Soft-sung, hushed with tremble, like a broken prayer wrapped in melody] I dug two graves and lost more than I show One for the woman I loved, one for the son I’ll never know She was five months in — we were almost there Now it’s empty rooms and a cold crib chair The 5:40 rolls through like it’s callin’ my name But I ain't packed my bags — I just sit in the pain And the truth? I still love her. That’s the hardest damn part She’s gone... and she took the rest of my heart [Bridge – Broken vocal cracks, melodic and drifting; echo-laced guitar with hollow air] Tell me, how do I breathe when the air smells like her? How do I sleep when the sheets still whisper? I’m not movin’ on — I’m not movin’ at all Just drinkin’ in circles, just waitin’ to fall [Final Chorus – Gripping emotional strain in the voice, like a last plea; layered acoustic and buried harmony] There’s a whiskey-shaped hole where my heart used to be And I pour in the hurt ‘cause it burns like she No peace in my bones, just a ache in the seams Where love used to live, now it hides in my dreams [Outro – Screamed, violent and unhinged, like he’s ripping himself apart] There’s a whiskey-shaped hole where my heart used to be And I fucking hate the bastard that’s left of me Every breath is a curse, every thought is a knife I should’ve died with her — I ruined her life I ain’t broken — I’m filth that breathes Just a goddamn coward too scared to leave I'm a shell full of rot, carved hollow by sin If hell’s got room, let this bastard in