[Intro — soft log drum + warm keys]
Can I use my voice? Can I use my voice?
(Use my voice!)
Use my voice, oh — I wanna shine
Let the rhythm roll, let my spirit rise
(Use my voice! Make it loud!)
[Verse 1]
In midnight hush beneath the streetlamp on Third and Rose
I held old cassette tapes in a cardboard box of hopes
A cracked-up radio hummed my grandmother's hums
I learned to sing through the smallness of those rooms
Two coins, one dream, the bus left without me
But I kept time with my heartbeat, found the melody
The city breathed — I breathed back, steady, slow
Small sparks turned to flames, watch how the chorus grows
[Pre-Chorus]
Hold your breath, then let it fly
Every doubt becomes my sky
Step by step, note by note, I climb
Feel the lift — I leave fear behind
[Chorus — rhythmic hook with call-and-response]
Can I use my voice? (Use my voice!)
Can I make some noise? (Make it loud!)
Can I use my voice? (Make it mine!)
Can I break the silence now? (Break it wide!)
Raise it like a flag up in the night
Echo through the alleys, set the dark alight
Can I use my voice? (Use my voice!) — Make it loud!
[Verse 2]
Found my name carved in the park on a rainy bench
An old lyric scribbled on a napkin, edges drenched
Neighbors laughed, the landlord knocked, the power failed
I sang to the moon, turned my paper into sails
There were mornings with empty plates, evenings with cold floors
But the chorus kept me warm behind those cracked doors
A single phrase became the map off that shore
I rocked the beat in shoes with holes, wanting more
[Pre-Chorus — lift stronger]
Breathe in slow, then let it climb
Turn the whispers into signs
From low-lit rooms to sunrise lines
Every small sound now multiplies
[Chorus — bigger, layered]
Can I use my voice? (Use my voice!)
Can I make some noise? (Make it loud!)
Can I use my voice? (Make it mine!)
Can I break the silence now? (Break it wide!)
Stack the harmonies, let every skyline hear
Log drum heartbeat, bassline pulling near
Can I use my voice? (Use my voice!) — Make it loud!
[Bridge — contrast & defiance]
I lost two nights to doubt, the light bill past due
I watched my courage drip like rain through a shoe
There were songs I shelved, words I locked away
Felt the world say "wait" every time I tried to say
But I rewound the cassette, pressed play on the pain
Sang louder than the thunder, turned loss into my gain
If silence was the thief, then music is my key
I break the lock, I open up — now hear me free
[Final Chorus — epic, ad-libs, call-and-response]
Can I use my voice? (Use my voice!) — Yes, I will!
Can I make some noise? (Make it loud!) — Hear the thrill!
Can I use my voice? (Make it mine!) — Let it soar!
Can I break the silence now? (Break it wide!) — Open doors!
Raise it to the rooftops, let the city take the sound
From Third and Rose to every corner of this town
Can I use my voice? (Use my voice!) — Make it loud!
[Outro — warm log drum fade, layered ad-libs]
Use my voice, use my voice (oh-oh)
Feel the power, feel the choice (make it loud)
Can I
