Letter To That Kid

[Verse 1]
Yo
I remember you
Hand-me-down shoes
School lunch, stomach doing backflips, playing it cool
Door slams, voices in the next room
You counting cracks in the ceiling
Trying not to assume
That this is just life
That love always sounds like a fight
You drawing heroes in the margins
Wishing one might come tonight
I know you think you broke something
Blame yourself when the plates start jumping
You hiding in the closet with the coat sleeves
Mouthing made-up prayers you don't even believe
Listen
None of that anger was yours
You a kid with a backpack
Carrying grown-up wars
You survived every hour that tried to erase you
Little man, that alone makes you graceful
[Chorus]
I’ve been talking to my younger self
Like, "You ain’t what they said you were" (you’re enough)
You were bleeding in a house on fire
Still guarding everybody else (too much)
I’m just talking to my younger self
From a future that you never felt
You didn’t get to be a child that long
But you still here, you still strong
[Verse 2]
You grew up on "don’t cry"
Chin up, dry eyes
So you folded every tear into a small lie
"I'm fine" on repeat, that your lullaby
You learned how to read a room
By the way the keys hit the table
Learned to disappear in plain view
Turn your heart into cable
Tight, twisted
Signal always distant
If they asked how you doing
You'd flip it with quick wit
I know why you laugh at your pain
Why you brag about scars like trophies in a game
'Cause if you tell it first, it can’t shame you
If you joke about the dark, it can’t claim you
But hear me:
You don’t gotta be the toughest one
You ain’t weak if you ask for a little sun
Therapy ain’t betrayal, it’s translation
Turning all that static into explanation
One day you'll say "hurt" out loud
And the world won’t end, just a heavy little cloud
You’ll breathe, for once, instead of bracing
Learn that healing ain’t erasing
[Chorus]
I’ve been talking to my younger self
Like, "You ain’t what they said you were" (you’re enough)
You were bleeding in a house on fire
Still guarding everybody else (too much)
I’m just talking to my younger self
From a future that you never felt
You didn’t get to be a child that long
But you still here, you still strong
[Bridge]
If I could tuck you in tonight
I’d say, "You don't have to earn love, all right?"
You don’t gotta fix them to be worthy
You don’t gotta bruise just to feel seen early
You ain’t your anger, you ain’t their habits
You more than survival and bad magic
One day you'll look back, talk gentle to that kid
And realize staying alive was the bravest thing you did
[Chorus]
I’ve been talking to my younger self
Like, "You ain’t what they said you were" (you’re enough)
You were bleeding in a house on fire
Still guarding everybody else (too much)
I’m just talking to my younger self
From a future that you never felt
You didn’t get to be a child that long
But you still here, you still strong (still strong)

rap, Moody, introspective boom-bap with dusty swing drums, warm sub bass, and a mellow piano loop; male vocals. Verses sit close and confessional, almost whispered at times; chorus blooms with layered harmonies and a subtle gospel pad. Occasional tape-stop drops and filtered drums underline key lines, building to a cathartic last hook that feels like release.