Porcelain Pieces

[Verse 1]
You packed my lunch in silence
Keys in the bowl by the door
I smile and say "I'm fine
I'm fine"
Then cry on the second floor
Your framed degrees keep watching
From that hallway painted blue
I learned early how to sparkle
So you’d never see the bruise
[Chorus]
I'm holding all these porcelain pieces
Balanced in my bleeding hands
Trying not to drop what you believe in
While I’m breaking where I stand
Every love has left me shattered
Same story
Different face
So I'm learning how to glue myself
Back in place
Back in place
[Verse 2]
He said I was "his angel"
Till my halo slipped one night
Then he left me with the blame and
Every bulb turned harsh and white
I heard your voices in me
"Darling
Choose someone who stays"
But they all rhyme with each other
Different names
The same old ache
[Chorus]
I'm holding all these porcelain pieces
Balanced in my bleeding hands
Trying not to drop what you believe in
While I’m breaking where I stand
Every love has left me shattered
Same story
Different face
So I'm learning how to glue myself
Back in place
Back in place
[Bridge]
Will you still be proud
If I crack right in front of you? (tell me)
If I say out loud
I’m scared I got this heart from you?
I’m tired of being careful
Of shrinking so you won’t see
Tonight I choose the mess I am
And still choose me
Still choose me
[Chorus]
I'm holding all these porcelain pieces
Balanced in my bleeding hands
Trying not to drop what you believe in
While I’m breaking where I stand
Every love has left me shattered
Same story
Different face
But I’m learning how to glue myself
Back in place
Back in place (oh)
I’m learning how to love myself
Cracks and grace
Cracks and grace

Moody alt-pop ballad with female vocals, intimate piano and warm pads in the verses that bloom into a spacious, punchy drum groove on the chorus; vocal doubles and airy harmonies on the hook, subtle reverse swells and filtered delays to mirror emotional flashbacks, bridge strips back to near-acapella before a final, cathartic lift