(Spoken softly)
“Used to love them more than I loved me… but not anymore.”
(Optional falsetto echo or reverb swell)
⸻
Verse 1
Gave my all to the ones who barely stayed,
Built ’em up while I slowly broke away.
Used to think love meant giving it all,
But I lost myself trying to catch their fall.
Ad-libs (optional):
• Line 2: (“Yeah… broke away…”)
• Line 4: (“Shoulda held on to me…”)
⸻
Pre-Chorus
Smiles in the mirror never felt real,
Empty inside, no matter how I heal.
Then I heard my heart whisper low,
“Boy, it’s time to let you grow.”
Ad-libs:
• Line 2: (“Still don’t feel whole…”)
• Final line: Emphasize “you” with slight vocal break or falsetto
⸻
Chorus
I gotta love me first, before I give my heart away,
Tired of bleeding just to make somebody stay.
Now I see my worth, no more begging to be seen—
If I don’t love me, how could anybody love me clean?
Harmony Suggestions:
• Layer “I gotta love me first” with soft female background vox
• Echo “stay…” and “seen…” with subtle harmonies
• Final line: Hold “clean” with vibrato or echo to let it linger
⸻
Verse 2
Always the hero, never the home,
So many people, but I still felt alone.
They took pieces, never looked back,
Now I’m done being the one who cracks.
Delivery Tip:
• Line 1: Punchy, soulful
• Line 4: Pause after “done…” for dramatic effect
⸻
Bridge
No more chasing ghosts in the dark,
I found the light inside my own heart.
Self-love ain’t selfish, it’s survival—
Now I’m my own damn revival.
Backgrounds (Optional):
• Line 3 & 4: Gospel-style choir harmony (light but uplifting)
• Final line: Repeat “revival” softly in background
⸻
Final Chorus (Double)
First Half (Full Energy):
I gotta love me first, before I give my heart away,
Tired of bleeding just to make somebody stay.
Now I see my worth, no more begging to be seen—
If I don’t love me, how could anybody love me clean?
Second Half (Stripped Down – Piano/Guitar Only):
I gotta love me first… (pause)
Before I give my heart away…
If I don’t love me… how could anybody… love me…
clean…
Outro (fade):
(Background repeats “Love me first…”)
(Soft guitar/piano fade-out)
