(tired, controlled, voice masking emotion)
I keep telling myself I’m strong enough to handle this…
(pause)
…but I don’t know if that’s true anymore.
(5–8 seconds of silence)
⸻
Verse 1
You say you’re tired
But you don’t mean sleep
You stare through me
Like you’re somewhere deep
I ask what’s wrong
You shake your head
Like the truth might splinter
If it’s said
I watch you fold
In familiar ways
Same small cracks
Getting wider each day
I keep my voice low
Like that might help
Like loving you quiet
Could save us both
⸻
Chorus
I’m still here
But I don’t know what you need
I’m still here
Watching you drift from me
If I reach out
Will I make it worse?
If I stay still
Will I lose you first?
I’m still here
But I’m scared that I’m too late
⸻
Instrumental / Reflection
(ambient swell, space to breathe — no lyrics)
⸻
Verse 2
You laugh at nothing
Then look away
Like you caught yourself
Feeling okay
Your hands shake
When you pour the glass
You say you’re fine
But you say it fast
I start counting
What I didn’t see
All the signs I missed
Standing next to me
I tell myself
You’ll come back soon
But that sounds like hope
And hope feels rude
⸻
Chorus
I’m still here
But I don’t know what you need
I’m still here
Watching you drift from me
If I reach out
Will I make it worse?
If I stay still
Will I lose you first?
I’m still here
But I’m scared that I’m too late
⸻
Bridge
(stripped back, almost bare)
I can’t fix this
I can’t pull you through
I can love you
But I can’t be you
Every prayer
Feels half-formed
Like I’m knocking on a door
That won’t open anymore
I’m here
I swear I am
But I don’t know
Where you went
⸻
Post-Bridge Swell
(wordless vocals / instrumental rise)
⸻
Final Chorus
I’m still here
But I don’t know what you need
I’m still here
Watching you drift from me
If I reach out
Will I make it worse?
If I stay still
Will I lose you first?
I’m still here
But I’m scared that I’m too late
⸻
Outro
(instrumentation fades — leave emotional space)
