Intro (airy, distant)
I looked for your name
In the noise
In the crowd
In the light
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Verse 1
I was dancing under tired neon lights
Heart painted gold, but cracked inside
Everyone saw the way I smiled
No one heard the way I cried
I was “good”, I was “fine”, I was “strong”
Even when nothing felt right all along
I was shining just to stay alive
But shining alone is a dangerous high
⸻
Pre-Chorus
I screamed your name inside the sound
But the echo just let me down
Everybody there, nobody true
Tell me—where were you?
⸻
Chorus
Where were you when I was golden?
When I was acting like I was okay
I was glowing, but breaking open
Calling for someone through the shine
Where were you when I was falling
While I danced like nothing was wrong
I had gold on my skin, emptiness in my hands
Where were you when I needed someone?
⸻
Verse 2
I ran after shadows in crowded rooms
Faces that promise, then leave too soon
Full nights, hollow mornings
“Forever” lasts till the music’s done
I kissed reflections, not real hearts
People who looked but never saw
I didn’t want to be famous
I just wanted to be chosen
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Pre-Chorus 2
I partied with my demons late
They already knew my name
But you—where were you back then
When I was losing myself again?
⸻
Chorus
Where were you when I was golden?
Smiling against the undertow
I was glowing, but I was frozen
Too alive to feel alive at all
Where were you when I was falling
Between the beat, between the lies
I danced so I wouldn’t disappear
But I hoped someone would stop me in time
⸻
Bridge (darker, slower)
Maybe I was asking for too much
Maybe I was chasing a rush
Or just someone real enough
To see through the artificial love
Maybe I was invisible
Even covered head to toe in light
‘Cause screaming without a sound
Is the cruelest way to fight
⸻
Instrumental Break (imagined)
(beat drops, breath, distant echoes)
⸻
Verse 3
Now I walk without the crowd
The gold is fading, but I’m proud
I learned that shining too bright
Doesn’t always attract the right eyes
I let go of the mirage
The promises wrapped in gold foil
If you come back, come honest
Not just when I sparkle
⸻
Final Chorus (stronger, clearer)
Where were you when I was golden?
When I was begging without words
I was glowing, but I was learning
That light can lie if it hurts
Where were you when I was falling?
Now I know—I’ll be alright
I shine less, but I’m real now
And that beats perfect gold every time
⸻
Outro (soft, released)
I don’t look for love in the spotlight
If you come, come in the quiet
‘Cause being golden, I realized
Means nothing… if you’re alone at night
Maudex
