FEATHERS ON A LOCKED HEART
(by Robert Ramage)
Intro (spoken)
I didn’t cage this heart to keep love out.
I caged it to keep it together.
Verse 1 – Pressure
Every word weighed twice its size,
Every feeling put on trial,
Say too much, you’re losing ground,
Say too little, you’re shut down.
I tried to speak, I tried to bend,
Every side said I was wrong again,
So I learned to hold my breath
Just to make it to the end.
Verse 2 – Judgment
They don’t feel what beats in me,
Only judge what they can see,
Call it reckless, call it blind,
Never walked this state of mind.
Every choice I tried to own
Turned into a courtroom tone,
So I stopped defending truth
And started building something strong.
Chorus
This heart’s locked up, not to run,
But to stop it coming undone.
Every crack I had to mend
Put another bar in place again.
These feathers show, I’m not made of stone,
Just careful where I let love roam.
If I look guarded, that’s because
I’m holding on to what still was.
Verse 3 – Fear of Loss
I’ve loved enough to know the cost,
What it takes and what gets lost,
Every promise left behind
Leaves another mark in time.
I won’t pretend I’m bulletproof,
I still ache, I still choose hope,
But I won’t let another fall
Be the thing that breaks it all.
Verse 4 – Responsibility
Everyone needs something from me,
Strength, patience, clarity,
Hold it together, don’t let go,
Be the one who always knows.
So I rebuild with steel and grace,
Put a lock around this place,
Not because I don’t feel love—
Because I feel it every way.
Bridge
I didn’t lose my heart in fear,
I just learned what hurts it here,
If it opens, it opens slow,
Not because it can’t — but because it knows.
The wings remain, they always will,
Not to escape — but to remind me still…
Final Chorus
This heart’s locked up, but it still beats,
Still feels warmth, still feels need.
Every reason built this cage,
Not one wound — but every stage.
These feathers mean I’m not closed off,
Just tired of the fall and cost.
I’m not hiding from the sky—
I’m choosing when and why I fly.
Outro (spoken)
The lock holds the damage in.
The feathers let the truth show.