Before Myself

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