(Verse 1)
The hallway’s a river of voices and feet
I’m anchored in place, trying not to be seen
The words are all there, like birds in a cage
But the door is bolted, and I’m off the page
I see your lips moving, I see your kind eyes
But my throat is a desert, my tongue is tied
It’s not that I’m stubborn, it’s not that I’m cold
It’s a secret in silence that’s waiting to be told.
(Chorus)
It’s a glass wall standing between me and the world
A thousand stories that stay uncurled
I’m screaming in colors, but breathing in gray
The "hello" gets stuck and just withers away
It’s not a choice, it’s a freeze in the light
Like a deer in the headers in the middle of the night
I’m here, I’m listening, I’m part of the view
I just can’t find the bridge to get over to you.
(Verse 2)
You think that I’m shy, or you think I’m just strange
You ask me a question and watch for a change
But the harder you push, the tighter the knot
The more that I want to, the more that I caught
I want to tell jokes, I want to say "no"
I want to join in and let the words flow
But my brain sends a signal that my mouth can’t read
A lock on the gate is a heavy thing indeed.
(Bridge)
Don’t call me "the quiet one," don’t look away
Don’t think I have nothing important to say
If you look at my hands, if you look at my pen
You’ll see the person I am, and then—
Maybe the pressure will start to subside
And the wall will get lower, with nowhere to hide.
(Chorus)
It’s a glass wall standing between me and the world
A thousand stories that stay uncurled
I’m screaming in colors, but breathing in gray
The "hello" gets stuck and just withers away
It’s not a choice, it’s a freeze in the light
Like a deer in the headers in the middle of the night
I’m here, I’m listening, I’m part of the view
I just can’t find the bridge to get over to you.
(Outro)
So stay for a minute, just sit in the still
I might not speak now, but maybe I will
Until then, just know that I’m loud in my
Even when the silence is tearing me apart.
(Fading)
I’m here...
I’m here...
I’m still here.