Proof I Survived

[Intro]
Yeah
Uh
Listen
[Verse 1]
I remember every hallway, every slammed door
Breath holdin’ while his boots hit the cracked floor
Red eyes in the kitchen like a nightmare
He was smilin’ while I shook in the thin air
Call him “sir” or you tastein’ that belt snap
Learned quick how to fold, how to play act
Laugh track on my pain, he would rewind it
Finger on my mouth when I tried to define it
Mama lookin’ down at her phone screen
I was bleedin’ on the tile, she chose unseen
Called that man “dad,” but he fed off fear
Knew my age, never learned what I dreamed this year
[Chorus]
I got scars you don’t see, they under these sleeves
All these blocked out reels that my mind won’t screen
I was raised by a demon and a ghost in the breeze
But I swear on my name I’ll be better than these
They broke my bones, but they ain’t break my drive
They tried to crush my hope, but the hope survived
I keep runnin’ from the child that they left behind
Every cut on my soul is the proof I survived
[Verse 2]
Real dad drove off like a Lyft ride
All smoke, no goodbye, just a quick slide
Birthday candles, I was starin’ at an empty chair
Learned early some men never really care
Phone stayed cold, I was walkin’ on eggshells
Prayed for a text, only got voicemails
“Can’t talk right now,” that was every day
He was livin’ his life, I was hidin’ my face
So I blacked out the worst, locked it in a dark room
Memories in boxes stacked up to the stark moon
But the nightmares leak, I can hear ‘em when I’m half-sleep
Little me cryin’, sayin’ “Why you never had me?”
[Chorus]
I got scars you don’t see, they under these sleeves
All these blocked out reels that my mind won’t screen
I was raised by a demon and a ghost in the breeze
But I swear on my name I’ll be better than these
They broke my bones, but they ain’t break my drive
They tried to crush my hope, but the hope survived
I keep runnin’ from the child that they left behind
Every cut on my soul is the proof I survived
[Bridge]
I ain’t him, I ain’t you, I’m my own blood
I turn pain into power, watch it flood
You hit kids, I hit stages, that’s the upgrade
You left home, I build homes that don’t break
I’ll raise love, not fists in a tight grip
I’ll show up, not hide when the sky flips
Every word that you used like a knife swing
Now it’s carved in my heart as a war hymn (yeah)
[Chorus]
I got scars you don’t see, they under these sleeves
All these blocked out reels that my mind won’t screen
I was raised by a demon and a ghost in the breeze
But I swear on my name I’ll be better than these
They broke my bones, but they ain’t break my drive
They tried to crush my hope, but the hope survived
I keep runnin’ from the child that they left behind
Every cut on my soul is the proof I survived

rap, Moody trap beat with dark, detuned bells and distant vocal chops, deep 808s locking with sharp hi-hats. Verses in aggressive yet vulnerable male vocals, close and dry; hook opens with layered harmonies and wider reverb. Subtle low choir pad in the hook for “demon” imagery, occasional tape-stop effects before key lines to spotlight the emotion., sad