Shadows In The Light

Raised on Sunday prayers and dusty pews,

Where the preacher said love comes in certain hues,

I learned to bow my head, hide my eyes,

Keep the part of me that feels alive.

Mama smiles, Daddy works the land,

All their dreams built on a guiding hand,

But my heart beats a different drum,

And I’m scared of what they’d think if it came undone.

I’m just a shadow in the light,

Tryna breathe, tryna be right,

Hiding pieces that I can’t show,

Living where love’s a no-go.

I’m scared, I’m lonely, I’m not free,

I’m still just a boy in secrecy,

Prayin’ God sees what I can’t say,

While the world keeps turnin’ me away.

Friday night, the field lights burn,

Cheering for the boys I can’t call my own,

I smile and laugh, but it feels like chains,

Every word I speak feeds the pain.

I write letters I’ll never send,

Pour out my heart to a paper friend,

Every dream I have, every love I crave,

Feels like it belongs in someone else’s grave.

I’m just a shadow in the light,

Tryna breathe, tryna be right,

Hiding pieces that I can’t show,

Living where love’s a no-go.

I’m scared, I’m lonely, I’m not free,

I’m still just a boy in secrecy,

Prayin’ God sees what I can’t say,

While the world keeps turnin’ me away.

Maybe someday I’ll run away,

Find a place where hearts can stay,

Where someone won’t flinch at who I am,

Where I can hold their hand.

But tonight, the shadows cling,

I feel their weight in everything,

And I whisper into the dark sky,

Please don’t let me break tonight.

I see couples walk the streets downtown,

Laughin’ loud without a frown,

I want that, but it feels like sin,

In a town that says love can’t live within.

Every mirror shows the truth I hide,

Every glance a secret I can’t confide,

But I dream of freedom, I dream of light,

Somewhere I can live without fright.

I’m just a shadow in the light,

Tryna breathe, tryna be right,

Hiding pieces that I can’t show,

Living where love’s a no-go.

I’m scared, I’m lonely, I’m not free,

I’m still just a boy in secrecy,

Prayin’ God sees what I can’t say,

While the world keeps turnin’ me away.

Somewhere… I’ll find my day.

Somewhere… I’ll find my way.