Weight On His Shoulders

[Verse 1]
Coffee in a paper cup
Sun ain’t up
But he’s halfway there
Clocking in on borrowed sleep
Same old boots
Same busted stairs
Missed the first word
First bike ride
Saw it all through a screen that day
Smiled big
Then killed the call
Let the silence have its say
[Chorus]
He’s got the weight on his shoulders
But he carries it home every night
Calloused hands
Getting older
Still he’s holding that line so tight
If it breaks him down
He won’t show it
Says
“I’m fine
” as he walks through the door
He’s got the weight on his shoulders
So they don’t feel it anymore
[Verse 2]
Pictures taped above his bench
Crayon crowns and crooked hearts
Lunch break spent in parking lots
Watching replays in his car
He counts paychecks
Not birthdays
But he circles them on the wall
Swears next time he’ll make the game
Then that overtime call
[Chorus]
[Bridge]
[low vocal register]
One day they’ll see the miles on his face
All the nights he traded for this place
Every scar
Every shift
Every shout
Every song
Was him choosing them
All along
[crescendo]
[Chorus]

rock, Big open alt-rock band—crunchy electric guitars, steady mid-tempo drums, warm bass glued under a raw, present male vocal. Verses stay tight and conversational, palm-muted chugs leaving space; chorus explodes with wide stereo guitars, gang vocals on key lines, and a lifting overhead cymbal wash. Bridge strips to a single clean guitar and voice before a final full-band, shout-along reprise., electric