(Intro – soft piano + reverb-heavy breath)
The clock is ticking louder than before
My shadow’s stretched across the floor
Left a note on the table I know they won’t read
Wrote, “I’m trying — please believe”
---
(Verse 1)
They said, “Don’t speak unless it shines”
So I buried truth beneath my lines
Smiled in front of silent eyes
Became the son they recognized
But I’m tired of earning space
In a home that feels like outer space
Where love depends on who I fake
And silence is the bond we make
---
(Pre-Chorus 1)
So I carved my name into empty skies
Built myself where they wouldn’t try
And every note I ever played
Was louder than the words they never said
---
(Chorus)
Still breathing — though I disappear
Fading slowly, year by year
Wrote my pain in melody
Just to keep from drowning me
Still bleeding — in quiet storms
Hiding bruises behind norms
Not okay, not serene
But this is me… still breathing
---
(Verse 2)
I was taught that love is earned
That softness gets your fingers burned
So I masked my hurt in strength
And stretched my smile at any length
They said, “You lead,” but left me blind
Praised the shell and shamed my mind
But how do you bloom in frozen dirt
When your roots are tangled up in hurt?
---
(Bridge – Rap – soft, poetic flow)
Tired eyes, unspoken cries
Dinner with questions I never asked why
They wanted perfection, I gave them all
Now I wonder who answers when I fall
Grew up quick with a cracked foundation
Chased the dream with no direction
Not for me — but to be seen
To prove I’m more than a quiet scream
---
(Bridge 2 – Slow Build VOCAL)
But I am not just scars and fear
I am more than who they steer
In my silence, there’s a voice
In my hurt, I make my choice
---
(Chorus 2 – Stronger Emotion)
Still breathing — without a guide
Fighting storms I hold inside
Through the doubt, I find release
In every song, I claim my peace
Still dreaming — through the haze
Breaking out of their old maze
I’m not whole, but I’m seen
And that’s enough to keep breathing
---
(Instrumental Break – violin + reversed guitar)
(wind and echoing heartbeat)
(soft child’s voice whispering “You’re okay”)
(piano returns in broken cadence)
---
(Verse 3 – Whisper Vocal)
I walk through hallways I built in my mind
Rooms of regret I still rewind
But I’ve lit candles in the dark
I’ve named every hidden mark
And I forgive myself for bending low
For hiding every "no" I should’ve shown
I’m still not sure who I became
But I’m still here — I stayed
---
(Final Chorus – layered vocals, falsetto + belt)
Still breathing — flawed but true
Not the boy they wanted, but someone new
Found my truth in silent screams
in broken notes and shattered dreams
mStill healing — not a race
took my time to find my place.
and when they ask if I still bleed...
i’ll whisper,
yes... but i still breathe. . . .
u --- (Outro – acoustic + rain sounds fade in) And maybe that’s enough Not perfect, not loud But alive Still breathing
