[Intro – ambient, low piano, slow pulse]
[Male Vocal – whisper, controlled]
I still flinch when the room gets quiet.
⸻
[Verse 1 – Male Vocal | restrained, reflective]
[Male Vocal]
I learned how to read the air too well,
Every silence rang like hell.
Your voice didn’t need to raise,
The damage lived in what you’d say.
[Male Vocal]
You said love meant staying small,
That I was lucky you cared at all.
I stopped trusting what I felt,
Started blaming myself.
⸻
[Pre-Chorus – Male Vocal | tension building]
[Male Vocal]
I didn’t see it as abuse,
I just thought love was supposed to bruise.
⸻
[Chorus – Male Vocal | emotional but controlled]
[Male Vocal]
I’m still here, but not the same,
I carry fear instead of names.
You didn’t hit me, you didn’t scream,
You just erased parts of me.
I loved a man who loved control,
And called it care to keep me close.
Now I’m learning how to breathe,
Without apologizing for being me.
⸻
[Post-Chorus – instrumental drop, heartbeat bass]
⸻
[Verse 2 – Male Vocal | quieter, honest]
[Male Vocal]
I check my phone before I speak,
Like you’re still waiting to critique.
I rehearse every word I say,
Afraid I’ll give myself away.
[Male Vocal]
You made my body feel like blame,
Like wanting love was something shameful.
I stayed because I thought pain meant depth,
Didn’t know peace could exist.
⸻
[Pre-Chorus – Male Vocal | realization]
[Male Vocal]
I thought surviving meant I won,
But healing’s harder than running from someone.
⸻
[Chorus – Male Vocal | deeper emotional peak]
[Male Vocal]
I’m still here, but I shake inside,
Every time someone gets too kind.
You taught me love should feel like fear,
I’m unlearning that year by year.
I don’t hate you — that’s the worst part,
It’s easier than rebuilding my heart.
But I won’t let your voice define
The way I love the rest of my life.
⸻
[Bridge – stripped back, raw]
[Male Vocal – near-spoken]
You said no one else would want me,
I believed you longer than I should.
⸻
[Final Chorus – resolved but not healed]
[Male Vocal – steady, grounded]
I’m still standing, scarred but real,
Learning what safe love feels like.
I won’t confuse pain with proof again,
Or call survival romance.
I’m gay, I loved a man who broke me slow,
But I’m not his echo anymore.
I don’t need perfect, I just need true,
And tonight… I choose me too.
⸻
[Outro – ambient fade, warm but restrained]
[Male Vocal – soft exhale]
I’m still here.
(music fades gently, unresolved but empowering)
