[Verse 1] Stephanie, I learned to stay quiet before I learned to read Tiptoeing past broken glass and broken sleep Walls heard everything we weren’t allowed to say I learned fear before I ever learned how to pray Sirens in my chest every night in my bed Listening for footsteps, praying rage skipped instead Kids at school talked about home like it was safe I lied through my teeth just to keep a normal face I watched doors slam like thunder in the hall Watched grown men act big while I felt small And you stood there — silent, staring through the smoke Like survival meant pretending nothing broke [Pre-Chorus] And maybe you were hurting too Maybe you were drowning slow But I was just a child, Mom And I needed you to know [Chorus] Stephanie, do you remember what I saw? Or did you learn to blur it all? I was begging for protection in those halls But silence was the answer every time I’d call Maybe you were tired, maybe you were numb Maybe you convinced yourself it wasn’t what it was But whether by choice or just by default I still grew up carrying all the fault And now I’m here breaking curses you ignored Trying to heal wounds you swore weren’t yours [Verse 2] I learned love meant pain, meant fear, meant hide Learned to shrink myself just to survive inside Every scream carved something deep in me And you looked away like you couldn’t see Bruises don’t just live on skin, they stay in bones They follow you long after you leave those homes And now I flinch when voices rise too fast Still trapped in memories everybody says are past You tell people, “She exaggerates, she’s fine” But trauma doesn’t leave just because you deny And now I’m grown trying to raise myself again While you act like none of this ever happened [Pre-Chorus] And maybe you did your best Maybe broken was all you knew But I was just a little girl And I still needed you [Chorus] Stephanie, do you remember what I saw? Or did you learn to blur it all? I was begging for protection in those halls But silence was the answer every time I’d call Maybe you were tired, maybe you were numb Maybe you convinced yourself it wasn’t what it was But whether by choice or just by default I still grew up carrying all the fault And now I’m here breaking curses you ignored Trying to heal wounds you swore weren’t yours [Bridge — angry, breaking] I needed a mother, not excuses Needed shelter, not confusion Needed someone to say, “I’ll protect you.” Not someone teaching me how to endure abuse You didn’t hit me — but you let it happen And silence cuts just the same And now I carry scars you never claimed While you still won’t say my pain’s name [Final Chorus — softer, exhausted] Stephanie… I wish you knew what it cost Growing up feeling already lost I’m still learning how to feel safe at all Still catching myself waiting for the fall I don’t hate you… but I needed more A mother who’d stand between me and the war Now I’m healing the child you left unheard Trying to believe I deserved better words