[Intro - Spoken]
I need to be honest — holding this in is breaking me.
I need to be honest — holding this in is breaking me.
(Whispered) For the kids. For me.
[Verse 1]
I need to be honest — holding this in is breaking me,
Drowning in the hush while the toaster pops and the TV blares, barely sleeping.
Embarrassed at your mom’s table when you shrug and laugh it off, I freeze,
Wiping ketchup from the kids' shirts, swallowing shame like it’s disease.
You smooth a story with her smile — a guard, a curtain, a practiced grace,
I watch your eyes move like they’re running from the promises I place.
Bedtime whispers, little feet thump the hall, a hymn of lullabies,
I tuck them in, trace their hair, while your silence multiplies.
[Pre-Chorus]
You hide behind her like a headline — quick edit, clean cut, spin and play,
I want to trust what you tell me, but the tape keeps re-running, frayed.
I’m tired of heavy shoulders, tired of pretending the bandage fits,
My chest is a drum that won’t stop pounding, counting all the hits.
[Chorus 1]
Dear Drew, can you hear this? I’m breaking — say my name,
I’m tired, I’m empty, and the nights are not the same.
My babies need me steady, not the tension of your ghosts,
I need to breathe, need to build a life that holds us close.
[Verse 2]
I tried to build forgiveness like a bridge over your mistakes,
Laid planks of apologies, you watched from shore, didn’t learn to take.
Remember the late-night call that turned into a shrug at breakfast?
The way you blamed the traffic, then deleted messages like thefts.
You used your mom to edit truth, to soften edges, save your face,
Left me fielding questions, answering lies in every empty space.
Bills on the table, crayon drawings taped to the fridge door,
I’m piecing together peace that you kept slamming with the back of your hand, sore.
[Pre-Chorus]
This ain’t hatred — it’s a survival call, a siren in my chest,
I’ve been rehearsing ways to leave without the kids feeling less.
You think I’ll fold? I’m fraying, sure — but I will rise from what you broke,
And teach these little ones what honesty looks like when it’s spoke.
[Chorus 2 - Evolving]
Dear Drew, don’t ask me to stay while you hide behind her ring,
I’m tired of carrying us, tired of pretending everything’s okay.
My babies need a mother who can stand and not be sold for hush,
So I’m packing quiet courage while your alibis turn to dust.
[Bridge - Cinematic Interlude]
Piano drops, strings pull like breath before a scream,
A picture on the mantel with a smile that used to mean a dream.
The clock at midnight, your phone in silent mode on the couch,
I learned to read the shadows where your truth refuses to vouch.
[Rap Verse / Third: Specifics & Cuts]
Remember Aunt May’s dinner — you stepped out to take a call, then lied,
Said you were fixing the car, said you were clearing space, then denied.
The Christmas pageant — you laughed when I flinched at your side-eye,
Said I was 'too sensitive,' left me apologizing while the kids cried.
Two a.m.
