[Verse 1]
You held my hand in the warmth of that pool
Taught me how to breathe when the water got deep
Said, "Daughter, keep your head up and your eyes on the shore"
So I wouldn't have to worry 'bout drowning no more.
We’d go to the gym, you’d help me exercise and grow physically and mentally stronger
To guard my own heart, to give myself a chance
To defend who I was when the world got cold
Back when your kindness was a story you told.
[Verse 2]
I had that beloved silver heart locket, medium in size
I’d shake it just to remember your words
The window would open, the message would show
"Always remember that I love you so."
But the message started fading, the metal turned grey
The words disappeared and I lost it one day
And it felt like a warning of things down the line
That the love in that locket was running out of time.
[Chorus]
‘Cause you used to love me like a person, not a shadow
You used to want me to stand tall and be brave
Now you just want me to bend and to follow
And bury the pieces of me you can’t save.
You call me naive and you get in my face
Replacing the mercy with bitter disgrace
I miss the mother who taught me to be free
Back when you loved me.
[Verse 3]
Now I’m in a new house with a man and a ring
But I still feel the sting of the names that you fling
The back of your hand when I spoke up my mind
The "gullible" label you left me behind.
But the day that you broke me, the day it was done
Was when you took Rocky—the only one
Who loved me like you did before the change
Now even your memory feels hollow and strange.
[Bridge]
I don’t need the karate to defend from the street
I need it to stand when you’re making me weak.
I’m finally swimming, I’m holding my breath
But choosing myself feels like mourning a death.
[Guitar Solo - Slow and Melancholic]
[Outro]
I hope that you're happy with the quiet you bought
With the "lessons" you gave and the "battles" you fought.
I’m safe in this life, and I’m finally free
Thanks to the person you used to be that taught me everything...
Back when you loved me.
Yeah, back when you loved me.