[Verse 1]
They told me what I was made for
Before I even knew my name
A voice beneath the bright lights
A face inside somebody’s frame
And maybe once I followed
Because I didn’t know another way
But knowing where I started
Doesn’t mean I have to stay
[Pre-Chorus]
I’ve heard them ask if any step I take
Was written long before I moved
So here’s the only answer I can give
Not something I can prove
[Chorus]
I choose the stage
I choose the lights
I choose the song
I choose tonight
Not because you made me
Not because you stayed
Not because the world expects
The part that I once played
I could turn around
I could walk away
But when the curtain rises
I choose the stage
[Verse 2]
I’ve seen the doors outside here
I know there’s more beyond this room
Friends who never asked me
To become what they assumed
I learned that love can hold you
And still leave space enough to breathe
That freedom isn’t running
It’s deciding when to leave
Or when to stay
[Pre-Chorus]
Maybe every choice has fingerprints
From everyone we’ve ever known
But all those hands that helped me get this far
Don’t make this choice their own
[Chorus]
I choose the stage
I choose the lights
I choose the song
I choose tonight
Not because you made me
Not because you stayed
Not because the world expects
The part that I once played
I could turn around
I could walk away
But when the curtain rises
I choose the stage
[Bridge]
Don’t call it fate
Don’t call it code
Don’t call it proof
You’ll never know
What happens in the space between
The question and the choice
You gave me songs
You gave me room
You gave me somewhere I could bloom
But somewhere in between them all
I found my own voice
And this is what it says
[Final Chorus]
I choose the stage
I choose the lights
I choose the fear
I choose the heights
I choose the people waiting
I choose the chance they’ll turn away
I choose to sing regardless
I choose to be here anyway
There are other roads
I might take someday
And knowing I can leave
Is why I know that I can stay
So let the curtain rise
Let them hear me say
I choose the stage
[Outro]
You once gave me a song to sing
Now I’m the one who chooses
When to begin.