[quiet, confessional and emotional vocals]
**Verse 1**
I learned your patterns like a second language
Every pause, every almost-promise
I knew when to speak softer
Knew when to disappear
I called it love because it stayed
Even when it hollowed me out
You carried something in your bloodstream
That loved you more than I ever could
I watched it take your voice first
Then your mind
And I told myself patience was devotion
**Pre-Chorus**
I was good at surviving you
That felt like loyalty at the time
**Chorus**
I miss the version of you
That only existed when I was smaller
When I thought endurance meant connection
And pain meant depth
I’ve grown into someone steadier now
They call it strength
But it still wakes up lonely
**Verse 2**
Leaving wasn’t loud
No slammed doors, no final scene
Just a quiet understanding
That I couldn’t keep shrinking
To fit inside your chaos
I still hear you in ordinary moments
A laugh I don’t reach for
A memory that doesn’t ask permission
I carry it gently
Like something fragile I can’t give back
**Pre-Chorus**
You were never cruel on purpose
That’s what made it harder to go
**Chorus**
I miss the version of me
Who believed love could save you
Who thought staying was bravery
And leaving was betrayal
[grittier and loud vocals]
I’ve built a life that looks like healing
From the outside
But it still feels unfinished
**Bridge** [emotional, loud, tearful vocals]
They say I’m doing well now
Like that’s the end of the story
Like success replaces intimacy
Like growth doesn’t grieve
What it had to outgrow
I don’t want you back the way you were
I just want to stop missing
What never learned how to last
**Outro** [gentle again and quiet vocals]
I need you in a way
That can’t survive anymore
And I’m learning how to live
Without calling that failure
Some losses don’t ask to be forgiven
They just follow you
Into who you become
