[Intro]
Packed bags by the front door
Late night
Shaky hands, brave jaw
Mom crying in the porch light (ay)
[Verse 1]
Turned eighteen, said “I’m grown now”
House rules felt like handcuffs, old vows
You said my friends too loud, skirt too short
Every Sunday was a sermon and a court
Met a boy downtown, gold tooth, big laugh
He said, “You a queen, why you lettin’ ’em drag?”
You called him trouble, said he’d wreck my world
I heard, “Stay small, stay daddy’s girl”
I wanted late trains, bright smoke, street slang
Not the same four walls and the church choir sang
So I stuffed my dreams in a duffel, no looking back
Wrote “Don’t call” on a note, left it on the rack
[Chorus]
I turned my back, I walked away
You call it lost, I call it brave
You say I’m blinded, I say I’m free
You don’t recognize this new me
If I gotta burn that bridge to breathe
Let the fire light the streets for me
You say I’m breaking this family in two
I’m just breaking out the cage I outgrew (yeah)
[Verse 2]
We in cheap motels, blue paint, thin sheets
Two plates, two forks, late rent, no heat
You say “come home,” but you mean “come small”
Smile sweet, bite tongue, shrink when you call
Yeah I miss little things, rice pot, old songs
Grandma’s hands on my hair when the day felt long
But I remember slammed doors, phone checks, side-eyes
“How you dress, how you talk, that’s shameful, why?”
So I ride with him, windows down, heart loud
Bad decisions in a row like a marching crowd
If I crash, it’s mine, if I rise, it’s mine
Rather bleed on my path than be safe in your lines
[Chorus]
I turned my back, I walked away
You call it lost, I call it brave
You say I’m blinded, I say I’m free
You don’t recognize this new me
If I gotta burn that bridge to breathe
Let the fire light the streets for me
You say I’m breaking this family in two
I’m just breaking out the cage I outgrew (outgrew, yeah)
[Bridge]
Maybe one day, when the noise all fades
We can talk names, not blame, drop the grenades
’Til then, keep the pictures, I’ll keep the scars
You keep the house keys, I’ll chase the stars (hey)
[Chorus]
I turned my back, I walked away
You call it lost, I call it brave
You say I’m blinded, I say I’m free
You don’t recognize this new me
If I gotta burn that bridge to breathe
Let the fire light the streets for me
You say I’m breaking this family in two
I’m just breaking out the cage I outgrew (yeah, yeah)