Backseat to My Demons

[Verse 1]
I grew up on "you'll never"
Served cold on a chipped plate
Hand-me-down anger
Same size as my dad's shame
Everybody smiling
Family photos all staged
You can crop out the chaos
But red eyes still say "stay"
I was that quiet kid
Counting tiles on the church floor
Praying like a hostage
"God
Why I hurt more?"
Bible on the nightstand
Phone full of dark thoughts
Trying not to dial 'em
Till the sunrise talks
[Chorus]
I've been riding in the backseat to my demons
Let 'em drive every time that I stop thinking
Hands on the wheel but they keep on screaming
"Turn this car around
Crash it into feelings"
I don't wanna
I don't wanna be their victim
Heart on E but I still don't listen
Backseat to my demons
Yeah
I'm done with it
I ain't giving them the keys for a minute (no more)
[Verse 2]
People say "just vent"
Like I ain't a cracked vent pipe
Leaks in my language
Poison in my insides
Tell me "take a break"
I don't know the brake line
Been in fight-or-flight
Since I learned what a fist's like
Therapist asking
"When'd you start hating your own face?"
I said "When they praised me
Only when I kept pace"
Straight A's
Straight fake
Smile in a straight frame
Got good at being perfect
Horrible at being James
[Chorus]
I've been riding in the backseat to my demons
Let 'em drive every time that I stop thinking
Hands on the wheel but they keep on screaming
"Turn this car around
Crash it into feelings"
I don't wanna
I don't wanna be their victim
Heart on E but I still don't listen
Backseat to my demons
Yeah
I'm done with it
I ain't giving them the keys for a minute (no more)
[Bridge]
Maybe I am not my worst day
Not my last mistake
Not my family's break
Maybe I am more than what they said
More than panic in my chest
More than voices in my head (in my head)
[Chorus]
I've been riding in the backseat to my demons
Let 'em drive every time that I stop thinking
Hands on the wheel but they keep on screaming
"Turn this car around
Crash it into feelings"
I don't wanna
I don't wanna be their victim
Heart on E but I still don't listen
Backseat to my demons
Yeah
I'm done with it
If they wanna ride now they ride in the distance (yeah)
Backseat to my demons
I'm finished

Moody cinematic hip-hop with NF-style emotional arc; piano and distant pad textures in the intro, then tight trap drums and deep sub come in for the verses. Vocals are intense male rap with double-time bursts, layered with haunting sung hooks in the chorus. Strings and low choirs swell in the bridge, final chorus hits hardest with extra harmonies and bigger drums.