Title: “22 (No Candles)”
Intro (spoken / filtered vocal)
Twenty-two…
No cake, no lights, no room full of noise
Just the clock on the wall breathing louder than me
Verse 1
Woke up late, same ceiling stare
Same old ghosts in the morning air
Phone don’t buzz, no plans tonight
Just another year passing by
They said “you’re young, you’ve got time”
But it don’t feel that way inside
Every mirror shows a face
That’s running out of seconds, out of grace
Pre-Chorus
I thought I’d be more by now
Thought I’d have something to show
But all I’ve got is this weight in my chest
And a future I don’t know
Chorus
I’m turning twenty-two
No candles, no wishes coming true
Just watching all the time slip through
Like smoke I can’t hold onto
I’m turning twenty-two
Still lost, still paying dues
Everyone’s moving, I’m stuck in the blue
Yeah, I’m twenty-two
Drop (minimal, emotional)
Twenty-two…
Time don’t wait for you
Twenty-two…
I’m trying, but I’m tired too
(Let the bass breathe, sidechain heavy, vocal chops of “twenty-two” and “time slips away”)
Verse 2
Friends move on, new names, new towns
I’m stuck counting days on a hand-me-down couch
Scroll my life through someone else’s win
Like I missed a turn I should’ve been in
Used to dream big, sleep less
Now I just dream of getting rest
Every year feels faster now
And I don’t know how to slow it down
Pre-Chorus 2
They say “man up, don’t complain”
But silence hits harder than pain
I’m screaming in a room alone
Trying to feel like I belong
Chorus
I’m turning twenty-two
No party, no “we’re proud of you”
Just watching all the time slip through
Like everything I never knew
I’m turning twenty-two
Still breaking, still confused
I don’t hate life, I just hate the view
Yeah, I’m twenty-two
Bridge (breakdown / ambient)
If this is the start of being a man
Why do I feel so small?
If time’s a river, I’m stuck in the sand
Watching myself fall
Final Drop / Outro
Twenty-two…
No one’s calling through
Just me and the truth
That time don’t wait…
Outro (soft)
I’m turning twenty-two
And I hope I make it through
Vazio
