Head up

Home was supposed to feel like a safe place

But I learned early how to read pain on a face

I stayed quiet, tried to be brave

Holding tears I didn’t know how to say

I was young, I was trying my best

Carrying things too heavy for my chest

Sometimes the past still walks by me

Faces I wish I could leave behind me

It hurts, yeah, I won’t pretend

But I don’t let it be the end

I still see them from time to time

Same streets, different state of mind

They don’t know what it took to heal

Or how hard it is to just feel real

I breathe in deep, remind myself

I made it through, I found my strength

Sometimes the past still walks by me

Brings back nights that tried to break me

But I don’t fall, I don’t fade

‘Cause love gives me a reason to stay

I got my little brother looking up

I gotta show him what it means to be tough

Not with anger, not with fear

But with love that says, “I’m here”

Yeah, I’ve been hurt, yeah, I’ve been low

But I protect the hearts I hold

Even when the tears don’t hide

I stay strong, I stay kind