Chains of the Past

In the shadows of this town, I wear my scars,

A ball and chain that pulls me close, beneath the stars.

Concrete whispers secrets, they know my name,

But this ground’s not my home, it's a prison of shame.

Walking these streets, every step feels like a war,

With memories creeping in, they knock upon my door.

A probation officer with eyes like steel,

Not a shred of compassion, don’t care how I feel.

Words of judgment echo hard, they cut like glass,

But they don’t know the darkness, they don’t see my past.

Flashbacks in the neon lights, panic in my chest,

Can’t escape these demons, can’t find no rest.

I wanna break free from this town that holds me down,

These echoes of a life where I wore a frown.

I'm not the monster they painted me to be,

Just a man searching for my peace, can't they see?

Days turned to months, time's a cruel disguise,

Seems like healing's a crime beneath these judgment eyes.

Every corner I turn, the past jumps right in,

It’s a battle to stay upright, where do I begin?

Fighting with my shadows, they whisper in the dark,

Do they know my sorrow? Do they feel my mark?

I wanna break free from this town that holds me down,

These echoes of a life where I wore a frown.

I'm not the monster they painted me to be,

Just a man searching for my peace, can't they see?

Behind closed doors, a struggle they ignored,

Now I’m left to wander, heart battered and bored.

If they could see my journey, the courage, the strife,

This isn’t just a number, this is my life.

I wanna break free from this town that holds me down,

These echoes of a life where I wore a frown.

I'm not the monster they painted me to be,

Just a man searching for my peace, can't they see?

So I’ll dream of sunsets, of places far away,

Where the chains can’t follow, where I'll find my way.

Boxed in by concrete, but my spirit won’t break,

One day I’ll rise, my heart will awake.