Hard Ways to Heal

[Verse 1]
Stared at the ceiling
Counting the cracks again
All of the questions
Circle
They never land
Friends say I'm changing
I say I'm barely here
Drinking my coffee
Cold
In a plastic chair
[Pre-Chorus]
Every day a little war I lose and win
All the bitter on my tongue
I breathe it in
[Chorus]
These are the hard ways to heal
Learning to stand when I can’t even feel
Picking the glass from my hands
Turning the mess into something that stands
All of the days that I broke
Teaching my lungs how to carry the smoke
Softly I say what is real
This is the hard way
The hard way to heal
[Verse 2]
Photos in boxes
Taped up along the wall
Whole other versions
Of me I don’t recall
I used to hide it
Smile for the camera lens
Now when I’m shaking
I tell the truth to friends (yeah)
[Pre-Chorus]
Every scar a little map of where I’ve been
Didn’t choose the storm
But I walked in
[Chorus]
These are the hard ways to heal
Learning to stand when I can’t even feel
Picking the glass from my hands
Turning the mess into something that stands
All of the days that I broke
Teaching my lungs how to carry the smoke
Softly I say what is real
This is the hard way
The hard way to heal
[Bridge]
Lost some faith along the way
Left it in December rain
But I found a kinder name
When I talked to all my pain
I said
“Stay
Don’t fade
We can share this weight”
And the ground didn’t give
I was scared
But I stayed (I stayed)
[Chorus]
These are the hard ways to heal
Holding my heart till it finally feels
Picking the glass from my hands
Turning the mess into something that stands
All of the nights that I cried
Teaching my eyes there is light on this side
Softly I say what is real
This is the hard way
But I know
I’m learning to heal

pop, Moody widescreen pop ballad over deep pulsing drums, warm piano, and sparse guitars. Verses stay intimate and hushed; pre-chorus adds rising pads and distant vocal echoes. Chorus blooms with big male vocals, stacked harmonies, and a heavy, side-chained low end. Final chorus strips to piano and voice for the last hook, then swells back with full-band lift and long reverb tails., healing