Intro / Hook
(BGVs: soft “ooh… ooh…” airy, breathy)
I care… but it’s buried deep, so deep
(BGVs: “ahh…” sustained)
Underneath the hurt you never see
(BGVs: “ooh… ooh…”)
I care… but it’s buried deep, so deep
(BGVs: “ahh…” falling)
Had to hide my heart just to keep my peace
⸻
Verse 1
(BGVs: very light hums — “mm…” low, minimal)
As my irritation grows with society’s woes
They keep telling me who to be, what to say, where to go
Writing rules for my life like they own my soul
Every move under fire, every truth under control
⸻
Pre-Chorus
(BGVs: gentle “ooh” swells at line endings)
How can I breathe in a world so cold? (ooh…)
When I reach for love, there’s nothing to hold (ahh…)
I learned real fast how feelings get cheap (ooh…)
So I locked them away… yeah (ahh…)
⸻
Hook / Chorus
(BGVs: stacked harmonies, warm and wide)
I care… but it’s buried deep, so deep
(BGVs: “ooh… ooh…”)
Underneath the hurt you never see
(BGVs: “ahh… ahh…”)
I care… but it’s buried deep, so deep
(BGVs: “ooh… ooh…”)
Had to hide my heart just to keep my peace
(BGVs: “ahh…” sustained)
⸻
Verse 2
(BGVs: low “mm…” pulses, almost felt not heard)
They judge my pain like it’s something small
Say “be strong,” but they don’t see me fall
I give compassion, I give my best
Still left unanswered, still feeling less
⸻
Bridge
(Music drops—BGVs exposed, intimate)
I wasn’t born this guarded
(BGVs: “ahh…”)
I wasn’t always closed
(BGVs: “ooh…”)
But love kept taking pieces
(BGVs: “ahh… ahh…”)
Till I had nothing left to hold
(BGVs: soft echo “hold… hold…”)
(Half-bar pause — single breath)
⸻
Final Hook / Chorus
(BGVs: fullest here—choir-like but soft)
I care… but it’s buried deep, so deep
(BGVs: “ooh… ooh… ooh…”)
Under scars I don’t let bleed
(BGVs: “ahh…”)
I care… but it’s buried deep, so deep
(BGVs: “ooh… ooh…”)
If I stay soft, the world takes me
(BGVs: “ahh…” rising)
⸻
Outro
(Lead ad-libs + BGVs fade together)
Buried deep… (ooh…)
Just to survive (ahh…)
Still I care… (ooh…)
Still alive (ahh…)
(BGVs fade out with hums)
