When I Can’t Say It

[Verse 1]
I keep my face on right
when the room goes gray
Got a storm in my chest
that won’t go away
I smile for the moment
then I fade in the frame
My hands shake easy
but I play it the same
I got words in my throat
like stones in a jar
Every time I try talk
it gets caught from the start
I don’t need a lecture
I need you near
Need somebody patient
when I can’t be clear
[Pre-Chorus]
It’s heavy, baby
it’s getting too loud
I’m losing my grip
in a too-crowded crowd
If I look gone quiet
don’t let me disappear
Just stay right here
[Chorus]
When I can’t say it
(when I can’t say it)
Hold my hand, hold my hand
When I can’t say it
(when I can’t say it)
Love me back to land
You are my home
when I can’t breathe right
You are my dawn
in the worst of nights
When I can’t say it
(when I can’t say it)
Hold my hand, hold my hand
[Verse 2]
There’s a bruise in my mind
that nobody sees
I’ve been fighting my shadow
on my own for weeks
Some days I’m one spark
from a total collapse
Trying to outrun pain
but it keeps coming back
I hate how it grows
when I lock it inside
Makes a jail in my ribs
and it steals my pride
But your voice cuts through
like a warm first light
You don’t have to fix me
just sit by my side
[Pre-Chorus]
It’s heavy, baby
and I’m worn to the bone
I don’t wanna be brave
just don’t leave me alone
If I can’t find the words
let my silence be heard
I’m calling your name
[Chorus]
When I can’t say it
(when I can’t say it)
Hold my hand, hold my hand
When I can’t say it
(when I can’t say it)
Love me back to land
You are my home
when I can’t breathe right
You are my dawn
in the worst of nights
When I can’t say it
(when I can’t say it)
Hold my hand, hold my hand
[Bridge]
If I go too far
pull me back by the heart
Tell me one small thing
that can break the dark
No secrets, no masks
just you and me
One breath, one step
one more chance to be
[Final Chorus]
When I can’t say it
(when I can’t say it)
Hold my hand, hold my hand
When I can’t say it
(when I can’t say it)
Love me back to land
You are my home
when I can’t breathe right
You are my dawn
in the worst of nights
When I can’t say it
(when I can’t say it)
Hold my hand, hold my hand
[Outro]
If I go quiet
stay in the room
Love like a bridge
pull me through
When I can’t say it
(when I can’t say it)
Hold my hand, hold my hand

Alt-rap with moody half-time bounce and sparse sub pulses; verse one rides a tight drum loop and dry piano fragments, pre-chorus opens with filtered pads and chopped harmony, chorus lands on a chantable hook with stacked female ad-libs and doubled lead, bridge strips to voice and kick before the final lift. Close-mic male vocals, intimate and raw, with female vocals answering on the hook, tape-stop transitions, reversed piano swells, and a clean punchy mix, rap