THE ONE HE LET GO

Intro – soft, almost hopeful, distant room tone]
I still wake up
Like it’s over
[Verse 1]
I still check the locks at night
Still count my breaths in threes
But the screams don’t live here anymore
Just quiet memories
They told me I was lucky
Said I beat the odds
Said some people don’t get out
I guess I’m one who does
[Pre-Chorus]
They never said why
They just said run
And I did
[Chorus]
I’m the one he let go
That’s what they say
The proof that monsters slip
And plans can break
Detective Dan said I was safe
Looked me dead in the face
Said it was done
Said I was saved
[Verse 2]
I gave a statement, shook a little
Hands still wouldn’t stay still
They said time would smooth the edges
That fear eventually will
Dan checked in a couple times
Asked if I was holding up
I said yeah, I’m sleeping fine
I lied just enough
[Pre-Chorus 2]
I never asked
Why I lived
I didn’t want the answer
[Chorus]
I’m the one he let go
I tell myself
That someone slipped
That he lost control
I wear survival like a badge
Like it means something real
Like being alive
Means I didn’t kneel
[Bridge – tension creeping in]
Sometimes I wonder
Late at night
Why he stopped
Why I wasn’t next
Sometimes I swear
I hear a choice
In the silence
I left unchecked
[Final Chorus – darker, restrained]
I’m the one he let go
And I don’t know why
Everyone says I survived
But no one says how
If this was mercy
It feels wrong
Like I was spared
Just to live this long
[Outro – quiet, fragile]
Dan…
If you hear this
I tried to be okay

Horrorcore rap/light metal, 90 BPM, male vocals, minor key, sinister mood, heavy bass, chug guitars, whispers