Burn the boat

I’ve walked the long road, miles on my name,

Carried every wrong turn, carried every flame.

People say I’m late now, but they don’t feel my bones,

They don’t hear the quiet where a rising voice grows.

There were nights I folded, thinking maybe I was done,

But something in my heartbeat kept beating like a drum.

Now the wind is shifting, and it whispers in my chest,

“Girl, you didn’t come this far to second-guess.”

So I’m lighting up the shoreline, letting every doubt float,

If I’m gonna chase the life I want, then baby — burn the boat.

I’m not turning back, no I’m not turning back,

Got the fire at my heels and the future in my hands,

And the tide won’t carry me home — I’m gonna stand.

I’ve got a wild kind of hope that doesn’t fade in the rain,

Got a soul that’s been rebuilt from the rust and the strain.

Every step I’ve taken taught me strength I didn’t know,

Every late beginning is just seeds that need to grow.

And I hear it calling louder, like a song beneath the skin,

Telling me I’m not behind — I’m just ready to begin.

Let the waves keep crashing, let the old path choke with smoke,

I’m done begging life to change — I’m the one who spoke.

So I’m lighting up the shoreline, letting every doubt float,

If I’m gonna chase the life I want, then baby — burn the boat.

No I’m not turning back, no I’m not turning back,

Got the fire at my heels and the future in my hands,

And the tide won’t carry me home — I’m gonna stand.

There’s a spark inside me rising with a voice I didn’t trust,

But it’s grown too strong for silence, too bright to gather dust.

If the world ain’t ready for the force I’m gonna be,

Then the world can learn along the way — but it won’t stop me.

So let the smoke roll skyward, let tomorrow take note,

If courage is a lifeline, I’m the one who wrote the quote.

I’m not turning back, and I won’t lose my glow,

I broke the chains, I chose the flame, and I’m ready now to grow.

I’m lighting up the shoreline, letting every doubt float,

And if the only way is forward, then baby — burn the boat.

No, I’m not turning back, no I’m not turning back,

This is the rise, this is the roar, this is the vow that I wrote,

And the tide won’t carry me home — I’m gonna stand in my throat,

Till the whole world knows my name from the fire in my note.

I’m not turning back.

I burned the boat.