Verse 1
They shake my hand, they clear their throat
Say, “You’ve gotta be strong,” like that’s a vote
They ask about work, about what’s next
Like my whole world didn’t just wreck
They say, “At least you still have her,”
Point at you like I didn’t lose too
Like loving you somehow erased
The daughter I never got to raise
Pre-Chorus
I nod my head, I play my role
But no one asks about my soul
Chorus
They tell me to move on, let it go
Like fathers don’t feel this kind of loss
Like my heart didn’t learn her name
Like I didn’t already love her
They put my pain to the side
Say, “Be the rock, don’t cry”
But I lost a child too
Why won’t anyone let me grieve too?
Verse 2
I see you breaking and I hold the line
Swallow my pain to protect what’s mine
If I fall apart, who will stand?
So I bury it deep like a man
But at night when the house goes still
That’s when it finally hits me real
I picture who she would’ve been
And I lose my breath all over again
Pre-Chorus
I’m angry, yeah — and I don’t care
I earned this grief, I was there
Chorus
They tell me to move on, tough it out
Like love just switches off somehow
Like I didn’t dream of her laugh
Or imagine teaching her how to stand
They say, “Time heals all wounds,”
But time just keeps reminding me
That I lost something I never got to prove
And nobody sees what this is doing to me
Bridge
They tell me, “Be grateful, stay strong,”
Like anger means I’m doing it wrong
But anger is love with nowhere to go
And mine is burning out of control
I don’t want advice
I don’t want clichés
I want someone to say
“You’re allowed to hurt this way.”
Break (quiet, breaking)
The only one who sees me crack
Is you when I finally let it happen
You don’t rush me, you don’t fix
You just sit with me in this
Final Chorus
So don’t tell me to move on
Don’t tell me she’s gone too soon
Don’t measure my pain against anyone else’s
Don’t rank grief, don’t assume
I’m a father who lost his child
Even if I didn’t get much time
I loved her with everything I had
And I always will — I’m her dad
Outro
If I’m quiet, it’s not because I’m okay
It’s because no one made room for my pain
Except you…
You let me grieve too
trixses
