[Verse 1]
Grew up with hands in my pockets
Eyes on the ground
Staying small
They taught me to swallow my questions
Never how to stand tall
I was told to keep it quiet
Bite my tongue
Grit my teeth
But there’s a drum in my chest now
Beating up from underneath
[Chorus]
I rise from what’s beneath me
From every “stay in your place” they preached
I was never shown how to be a warrior
So I learned in the gaps
In the breach
I rise from what’s beneath me
From every heavy word on my back
I was never taught how to wield this heart
So I turned every scar to an axe
[Verse 2]
Didn’t get a map or a mentor
Just warnings and locked doors and doubt
Now I carve my own coat of armor
From the fears they tried to stamp out
Learned to swing through shame like a doorway
Learned to call my courage by name
If the old rules made me smaller
I’ll set fire to their frame
[Chorus]
[Bridge]
[low vocal register] Bare feet on the boards
I’m grounded
[floor-stomp rhythm] One step
Then another
I’m found
Raise a glass for the kid I was
Drowning
Now hear this warrior sound (hey!)
[Chorus]