Caged Bird's Song
(Verse 1)
The walls were painted soft, but the air was sharp with dread
Every word a landmine, every silence what I feared was said
I used to dance with shadows, pretending they were friends
Until the light went out and I couldn't see where the nightmare ends
You clipped my wings so gently, a slow, insidious art
Leaving scars the world couldn't see, etched deep inside my heart
(Pre-Chorus)
But even broken glass can catch the sun
And I finally saw the damage you had done
A flicker in the darkness, a memory of my name
Before I let your fire burn me into ash and flame
(Chorus)
I'm unlocking the cage, hear the click of the brass
I'm stepping out of your shadow, into the looking glass
I see the survivor now, not the victim that you knew
This is my great escape, and I don't look back at you
My voice is not a whisper, my feet are on solid ground
I lost a war inside your house, but I'm standing where hope is found
And the bruises will fade, but the strength will remain
I'm free, I'm breathing, I'm more than the pain.
(Verse 2)
The silence now is deafening, but it's my silence to keep
No more tiptoeing around the rage that lay in fitful sleep
I'm gathering up the pieces of the woman you tried to erase
Remembering what it felt like to smile without fear on my face
I'm reclaiming my mornings, the sun on my kitchen floor
I'm changing the locks, you don't live here anymore.
(Pre-Chorus)
And every step away, it gets a little easier to breathe
I shed the skin you forced on me, the tangled web you weaved
The chains are on the ground now, they make a hollow sound
And I realize the power to break them was in me all along.
(Chorus)
I'm unlocking the cage, hear the click of the brass
I'm stepping out of your shadow, into the looking glass
I see the survivor now, not the victim that you knew
This is my great escape, and I don't look back at you
My voice is not a whisper, my feet are on solid ground
I lost a war inside your house, but I'm standing where hope is found
And the bruises will fade, but the strength will remain
I'm free, I'm breathing, I'm more than the pain.
(Bridge)
Don't you dare call this a tragedy, this is the victory song
The healing isn't linear, but I know where I belong
It's not in your cruel hands, it's not beneath your stare
I'm building my own haven, and you are not allowed there.
Oh, I am not afraid.
(Guitar Solo - Strong, clear, and soaring melody)
(Chorus)
I'm unlocking the cage, hear the click of the brass
I'm stepping out of your shadow, into the looking glass
I see the survivor now, not the victim that you knew
This is my great escape, and I don't look back at you
My voice is not a whisper, my feet are on solid ground
I lost a war inside your house, but I'm standing where hope is found
And the bruises will fade, but the strength will remain
I'm free, I'm breathing, I'm more than the pain.
(Outro)
More than the pain...
Yes, I'm more than the pain.
My wings are growing back.
(Fade out with the sound of a strong, s