Mistook Endurance For Commitment

Verse 1

I learned how to stay calm

When things felt off

I told myself that was maturity

You’d say we were fine

And I’d help make that true

By not pushing anything

I watched problems pass

Because confronting them felt selfish

I called that patience

Because it sounded better

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Chorus

I mistook endurance for commitment

I thought staying meant I was loyal

I kept showing up

Even when I was already gone

I mistook endurance for commitment

Because leaving felt like quitting

And I needed to believe

This was strength, not fear

⸻

Verse 2

I stopped checking in with myself

So I wouldn’t change my mind

I defended things

I didn’t actually understand

I learned how to explain your behavior

Before anyone asked

I adjusted my expectations

Until disappointment felt normal

I called that compromise

Because it kept everything quiet

⸻

Chorus

I mistook endurance for commitment

I thought holding on meant love

I kept lowering the standard

So I wouldn’t have to let go

I mistook endurance for commitment

Because if I stayed long enough

Maybe it would start to mean

What I said it did

⸻

Bridge

Nobody forced me to stay

That’s the part I don’t like

I wasn’t trapped

I was afraid of starting over

I liked knowing what hurt

And when it would happen

I don’t know who I’d be

Without something to hold together

⸻

Final Chorus / Outro

I mistook endurance for commitment

And I won’t pretend that was noble

I stayed because I knew the rules

And I was good at surviving them

I mistook endurance for commitment

Now I’m learning the difference

Between holding on

And refusing to let myself leave