[Instrumental Intro – distant piano, ambient pad, faint glitch noise]
...
[Verse 1 – soft piano, minimal sub bass]
Pressure building under me
Like the floor might give away
Everyone keeps moving forward
I just freeze in place
Bills and deadlines on my phone
Names I haven’t called in months
I say I’ll reach out tomorrow
But tomorrow never comes
[Pre-Chorus – clean guitar, light percussion]
Why was it easier back then
When all we had was time
Now every plan needs effort
And every text feels like a line
[Chorus – soft drums, layered vocals]
I drift back to eighteen
When nothing felt this heavy
Late nights, cheap dreams
And we thought we had forever
Now I’m staring at the ceiling
Wondering what changed
Why does loving feel harder
As we age
[Instrumental Break – shimmering synth, bass pulse]
...
[Verse 2 – piano, subtle trap hi hats]
I can work until I’m numb
Chase the goals I said I’d chase
But I can’t keep friendships steady
They just slowly fade away
Why does calling feel like pressure
Why does silence feel like shame
Why can’t I just do the things
That used to feel so plain
[Rap Verse – 808 bass, restrained beat]
Yeah
I’m good at showing up to work
Bad at showing up for people
Got ambition in my pocket
But connection feels illegal
I can move across the country
Chase a check without a blink
But I can’t reply to someone
When they ask me what I think
I don’t know when it got harder
I don’t know when it got strange
Used to fall into a friendship
Now it feels like a stage
[Pre-Chorus – drums drop, soft falsetto layer]
Maybe I’m just scared
Of letting people see
That I’m not who I was
At eighteen
[Build – rising synth texture, glitch percussion]
Don’t wake up
Stay young
Hold on
[Drop – warm melodic synth, sidechained bass]
...
[Chorus – fuller, emotional lift]
I drift back to eighteen
Where everything felt simple
We’d fight and then forgive
Like it was that easy
Now I’m staring at the future
Feeling out of place
Why does loving feel harder
As we age
[Bridge – piano only, intimate vocal]
Maybe nothing’s wrong
Maybe this is growing
Learning how to hold on
Without always knowing
[Final Chorus – layered vocals, hopeful tone]
I’m not eighteen
But I’m still breathing
Maybe it’s just different
Not broken, just changing
[Outro – ambient pad fade]
...
DreamyCow
