[Verse 1]
I used to think by twenty-two
I'd have the answers, know what to do
But now I’m staring at the ceiling
And all I feel is too much feeling
Bills stack up like paper walls
Dreams feel big, but I feel small
Everyone says "this is life"
But no one warns you 'bout the nights
[Pre-Chorus]
Where silence gets loud
And doubts start to crowd
And the child in me’s still asking how
[Chorus]
Welcome to adulthood, here’s your fear and freedom
Pick a path, make it last, but don’t ask for reasons
Fake a smile, shake a hand, act like you believe in
The plans you made at seventeen
But nothing’s quite the way it seemed
It's beautiful and hard and strange
These growing pains
[Verse 2]
I miss the days I couldn’t wait
To grow up, now I hesitate
No map, no guide, just expectation
And a quiet kind of isolation
Friends are moving, time moves fast
Mom keeps saying, “This won’t last”
But I still sleep with lights half on
And wonder where my youth has gone
[Pre-Chorus]
I’m not a kid, I’m not quite whole
Just learning how to lose control
And call it growth, and call it soul
[Chorus]
Welcome to adulthood, here’s your fear and freedom
Pick a path, make it last, but don’t ask for reasons
Fake a smile, shake a hand, act like you believe in
The plans you made at seventeen
But nothing’s quite the way it seemed
It's beautiful and hard and strange
These growing pains
[Bridge]
And no one really has it figured out
We’re all just trying not to drown
In rent and debt and quiet doubt
But somehow we still get around
[Breakdown - soft/spoken or whispered]
Paychecks, heartbreaks
Sunday night mind aches
Losing touch, letting go
Learning things you didn’t know
Lonely birthdays, crowded trains
But still, we try again
[Final Chorus]
Welcome to adulthood, here’s your fear and freedom
Hold your breath, do your best, even if you’re bleeding
Chase a dream, break it down, start again repeating
The plans you made at seventeen
Rewrite them when you’re feeling seen
It’s messy love and quiet change
These growing pains
[Outro]
Yeah, we grow through pain
But maybe that’s okay
I’m still learning how to bend
Without breaking all the way
Some days I fake the light
Some nights I lose the fight
But I keep waking up again
Trying to make it make sense
I talk to old friends less
Scroll through memories I miss
And wonder if I’m doing this right
Or just surviving day to night
And maybe growing up
Is just learning not to run
From the silence, from the cracks
From the weight upon your back
So here’s to all the in-between
The not-yet and the used-to-be
I don’t have it figured out
But I’m still here, and that’s allowed
Yeah, we grow through pain
And I’m growing all the same
Josephunds
