Verse 1
I wake up heavy before the sun
Same weight riding shotgun
I move through the dark so they don’t see
What this pressure’s doing to me
I wear the damage under skin
Smile like it never got in
If the load bends my spine in half
I’ll still move forward, never ask
Pre-Chorus
I don’t unload, I don’t confess
I just stack it up on my chest
There’s a fire I don’t let show
Burns slow… burns low
Chorus
I put them before myself
Let it break me if it helps
I’ll stay in the dark if it keeps them well
I put them before myself
I’ll be the wall that never cracks
Take every hit so they don’t feel that
Everything I am, every scar I’ve felt
I put them before myself
Verse 2
I walk the house when the night goes still
Check every lock like a test of will
Doors go quiet, the panel’s armed
Green light blinking, false calm
I stop outside each silent space
Like standing there can hold its place
I don’t say prayers, I don’t explain
I just stand guard and shoulder the weight
Pre-Chorus
If danger comes, it comes through me
That’s how it’s always gonna be
I don’t sleep deep, I don’t let go
Not while there’s something left to hold
Chorus
I put them before myself
Every night, every step
I’ll rot in the dark if it keeps them well
I put them before myself
I’ll be the noise that never rests
The pressure sitting on my chest
Everything I am, everything I’ve felt
I put them before myself
Bridge (Half-Time / Gritty)
Built to carry, not to be whole
Hands stay steady, heart stays cold
If this breaks me, let it
I was made for this—don’t forget it
Final Chorus
I put them before myself—no escape
Every breath another weight
I’ll carry the night so they see day
I’ll fade so they don’t have to break
I don’t need saving, I don’t need help
Just let me keep them safe from hell
Everything I am, everything I’ve felt
I put them before myself
Outro
When I finally lay my head
One ear stays on the edge
If the night crosses that line
It’s gonna have to come through mine