Standards For My Heart

[Verse 1]
[Male]
You say I'm distant
You say I don't talk
But every time I open up
It turns into a fault
You cut me mid-sentence
Raise your voice
Then you scoff
I'm trying to give you all of me
You keep brushing me off
[Verse 2]
[Female]
You say I'm so defensive
Like I love to fight
But you only come honest
When it's late at night
You want me to be gentle
When you're feeling small
But you go cold-blooded
When I need you at all
[Chorus]
[Male]
I got standards for my heart
Standards for my wife
I need love that covers me
Not another knife
I'm not asking you for perfect
Just some peace in my own home
If a man can’t rest with his woman
Where’s he supposed to go?
[Female]
You got standards for your heart
Well
I got some too
I need more than just the promise
That you’ll push on through
If we can’t both feel protected
When we lay down at night
How we ever gon’ grow into
Husband and wife?
[Verse 3]
[Male]
You say that I’m controlling
When I say what I need
But I’m tired of being silent
Just to keep the peace
Respect in the daylight
Not just in the sheets
A soft place to land
When the world cuts deep
[Verse 4]
[Female]
You want me to be softer
But you don’t share your fear
You say they all doubt you
But you hide your tears
I’m always on defense
‘Cause I don’t feel sure
You asking me for patience
But you walking out the door
[Bridge]
[Male]
I ain’t your opponent
I ain’t your enemy
I’m trying to build a table
Where we both can eat
[Female]
I’m tired of feeling tested
Like I’m on some trial
I just want a partner
Not a rank and file
[Both]
Can we drop our weapons
Just for one short while
Talk like we remember
Why we chose this life?
[Chorus]
[Male]
I got standards for my heart
Standards for my wife
I need love that covers me
Not another knife
I’m not asking you for perfect
Just some peace in my own home
If a man can’t rest with his woman
Where’s he supposed to go?
[Female]
You got standards for your heart
Baby
I hear you now (yeah)
If you show me where it hurts
I can hold it down
If we both feel protected
When we lay down at night
We can finally grow into
Husband and wife
[Outro]
[Both]
Standards for my heart
Standards for our life
Teach me how to love you
I’ll learn how to try
(yeah)
Standards for our hearts
We can get this right
If we fight for us together
Not each other every night

Midtempo R&B duet with male and female vocals; warm Rhodes and subtle guitar over a deep, steady groove. Verses stay intimate and conversational; choruses lift with stacked harmonies and a slightly brighter chord change. Call-and-response lines spotlight the conflict; bridge strips back to just keys and vocals before a final, blended hook.