Shadows of Love and Pain

[Intro]
I live in the shadows where love and pain collide,
I walk the line but no longer wish to hide.

[Verse 1]
What's it called when love and pain are the same?
A tangled web, a song unsung.
Conditions set, I can't break free,
Is this what love's supposed to be?

[Pre-Chorus]
Your needs come first, I swallow my screams,
Drowning in silent, hollow dreams.
Hiding my pain, pretending to smile,
Stretched thin, walking mile after mile.

[Chorus]
I gotta hide the truth, keep it inside,
Wear a mask, wear a lie.
You say I must be perfect and true.
I, after all am a reflection of you. 

[Verse 2]
Follow blindly, no questions, no dreams,
Living in shadows, not what it seems.
Every smile a carefully kept secret,
A love that’s fractured, my heart into pieces.

[Pre-Chorus]
Your image reigns, stands so tall,
If I ask for more, I risk it all.
A worthiness that’s been torn apart,
Lost the love within my heart.

[Chorus]
I gotta hide the truth, keep it inside,
Wear a mask, wear a lie.
You say I must be perfect and true.
I, after all am a reflection of you. 

[Bridge]
Can I break free from these chains?
Find my voice amidst the pain?
A love that heals, not divides,
Free to love, to truly thrive.

[Outro]
Love shouldn’t hurt, love should set free,
Love should allow for the true and best me.

Dark emotional ballad, piano and acoustic guitar, soulful vocals, minimalistic arrangement., female