Unfinished Business

I’m a flickering light in a basement parking lot,

The uncomfortable silence in a story you forgot.

They’re passing around my drink like a holy relic now,

While I’m trying to scream through a stitched-up brow.

I let the rumors grow legs and walk out of the room,

I let the fabrications build a comfortable tomb.

Now the friends I once had are just faces in a blur,

Loving a person that I never actually were.

Verse 2

You’re staring at a screen waiting for a text to turn blue,

But the signal is dead and I’m decades from you.

I see you losing sleep over things I never said,

Over "I love yous" and "I hates" that were only in your head.

The chaos of the narrative is spinning out of hand,

I’m a ghost in a crowd trying to make a final stand.

But the air doesn't move and the glass doesn't break,

And I’m drowning in the credit for the risks I didn't take.

(Chorus)

And oh, it’s a heavy weight to carry when your pulse has finally quit,

Watching everyone you love try to make the pieces fit.

But the puzzle is a lie and the edges are all frayed,

I’m the victim and the villain in the mess that I have made.

Is it grief if you’re crying for a mask I used to wear?

Or just a chemical reaction to the cold, empty air?

God, it’s lonely being gone when the truth is still alive.

(Verse 3)

Mom, I’m standing in the kitchen while you’re burning the toast,

I’m the secret in your pocket that you’re scared of the most.

I wanted to tell you that the "accident" was planned,

And the "good grades" and "gold stars" were all sleight of hand.

I’m a hard drive that crashed before the backup could run,

A series of mistakes that can never be undone.

You’re praying to a version of a son that was a saint,

While I’m begging for the courage to admit that I ain't.

(Bridge)

Give me a microphone, give me a second of your time,

I’ll trade this hollow peace for the rhythm and the rhyme.

I’ll tell you I was selfish, I’ll tell you I was scared,

I’ll tell you all the things that I never would have dared.

I’m sick of the silence, I’m sick of the glow,

Of a reputation built on things that nobody could know.

I’m losing you all to a man who’s a fake—

For God’s sake, for my sake, let it go

(Outro, whisper)

Just turn off the engine,

Let the radio hum.