Stone face, bleeding heart

[Verse 1]
I woke up with the weight on my chest
Feels like the world’s on my shoulders
In the armor I forged from the jokes and the grins
Black Buttoned-up shirt hiding storms under skin
Mirror shows a man who’s got it all down
But the glass knows the truth when nobody’s around
Cracks in the smile that I painted so neat
I’m dying inside, but I stay on my feet
[Pre-Chorus]
They say, “How you holdin’ up, brother? You good?”
I nod like a soldier, like every man should
If I let one tear fall, the whole dam would break
So I swallow the ocean for everyone’s sake
[Chorus]
I’m the rock in the river, the calm in the fight
The one who says “I’m alright” when I’m dying at night
I carry the hurt like a loaded gun
Tucked under my coat so nobody runs
Yeah, I laugh a little louder, stand a little taller
Hide the war in my soul just to make the world smaller
God, it hurts to be strong when I’m falling apart
Stone face, bleeding heart
[Verse 2]
I was taught early: real men don’t cry
So I buried my little boy six feet inside
Every “suck it up” carved another deep line
‘Cause a man keeps the darkness away from their dreams
[Pre-Chorus]
They lean on my chest like it’s solid as stone
Never knowing the cracks run straight to the bone
If I spoke all the pain, they’d drown in the flood
So I smile through the darkness 
[Chorus]
I’m the rock in the river, the calm in the fight
The one who says “I’m alright” when I’m dying at night
I carry the hurt like a loaded gun
Tucked under my coat so nobody runs
Yeah, I laugh a little louder, stand a little taller
Hide the war in my soul just to make the world smaller
God, it hurts to be strong when I’m falling apart
Stone face, bleeding heart
[Bridge]
One day I might shatter, let the fragments all fall
Scream into the silence, stop answering the call
But who catches the pieces when the strong one breaks down?
Who wipes up the mess when the king loses his crown?
I’m tired of pretending, but I’m scared of the cost
If I drop this mask, tell me—who takes the loss?
[Final Chorus – raw, half-whispered]
I’m the rock… getting worn by the waves
The “I’m alright”… is the lie that I gave
I’ve carried this hurt for so damn long
One day I might lay this loaded gun down
I won’t laugh any louder, won’t stand any taller
Let the whole world see I was never that smaller
Yeah, it hurts to be strong…
Damn, it hurts to be strong…
Please… let me take this stone face off
I’m just a man with a bleeding heart

Male, country, soul, blues, hurt