Hold On For My Brother

[Verse 1]
Staring at the ceiling
Clock says 3 a.m
Phone face down and silent
Thought
"Would they notice then?"
Window cracked and breathing
Cold across my skin
I made a list of reasons
Couldn’t find a single thing
[Chorus]
Then I saw my brother’s face
Laughing in my doorway
Wearing all my old mistakes
Like they were stories that he’d save
If I’m gone
Who holds that kid
When the world turns mean and bitter
I can’t leave
I’ve got to live
I’m holding on
For my brother
[Verse 2]
He was ten and trembling
First time that he called
Said
"They said I’m just too different"
So I met him in the hall
Put my jacket ‘round his shoulders
Said
"You’re stronger than you know"
Now here I am much older
Needing words from years ago
[Chorus]
Then I see my brother’s face
Dancing in the kitchen
Singing all the lines he makes
Way off key but always in it
If I’m gone
Who tells that kid
He’s enough when he feels lesser
I can’t leave
I’ve got to live
I’m holding on
For my brother
[Bridge]
Yeah
I still get those heavy nights (oh)
Still hear that quiet dare
But I picture him outside my room
Crying on an empty chair
So I text him
“You up?
Wanna talk about nothing?”
He types back
“Always
Bruh”
And somehow that’s something
[Chorus]
When I see my brother’s face
Waiting in the driveway
Arms wide like a big escape
Like I just came back from war safe
If I’m here
He’s braver too
Learns to stay when storms get rougher
So I choose this mess
This truth
I’m holding on
Yeah
I’m holding on
For my brother

Intimate indie-pop ballad with male vocals, close-miked and hushed at first. Fingerpicked acoustic guitar and soft piano share the verses; heartbeat kick and warm bass slide in for the chorus. Subtle string swells lift the second hook, with stacked harmonies on the title line. Final chorus strips back to almost solo voice, then ends on a lingering piano chord.