[Verse 1 – sung conversational, warm, storytelling tone; relaxed tempo, slight smile in the voice] Met him on a Friday, neon bar sign hummin’ He loved how I laughed, said I lit up the room Bought me a beer, said, “Don’t ever change” Funny how fast forever rearranged Said I talked with my hands, said I felt things deep At first he called it passion, then he called it “too much for me” Somewhere between “I love you” and “Why you like that?” I started holding pieces of myself back [Verse 2 – quieter, more restrained; vulnerability creeping in, less confidence] Sunday dinners got quiet real quick I’d rehearse every word before I spoke a bit He’d sigh if I cried, joke if I cared Ask why I couldn’t be more “low-maintenance” fair I caught my reflection in the bathroom light Didn’t recognize the girl staring back that night When you feel ugly standing next to your man That’s when the leaving starts, even if you don’t understand [Chorus – steady power, emotional clarity; not yelling yet, firm and resolute] When he makes you feel small, like you’re taking up space Like your heart’s a burden, your smile outta place When loving him means loving you less That ain’t compromise, it’s quiet distress I didn’t leave all at once, didn’t slam the door I just knew I couldn’t be that girl anymore Yeah, the moment I saw what I’d been becoming Was the night I started leaving [Verse 3 – slightly sharper delivery; hurt turning into awareness] Fight over nothing, same old lines “You’re too emotional,” he crossed another line Said, “You’d be prettier if you’d just calm down” That sentence hit harder than walking out I slept on the edge of my own bed With a thousand things I never said Morning came with that heavy truth I was losing me trying to prove [Chorus 2 – stronger than first chorus; voice fuller, more conviction] When he makes you feel small, when your fire feels wrong When you start apologizing just for being strong When your soul feels tired just loving him That’s not love—it’s the slowest kind of end I didn’t pack my bags that very night But my heart already knew the fight The day I chose myself over running Was the day I started leaving [Bridge – emotional lift; raw honesty, almost breaking but controlled] I remembered the girl who sang too loud Danced barefoot, didn’t ask for allowance She wasn’t broken, she wasn’t wild She was just too big for a love that small [Final Chorus – full voice, confident, empowering; emotional release] If he makes you feel small, hear this like a prayer You don’t need fixing, you don’t need repair You ain’t too much, you ain’t hard to love You’re just asking the wrong man to rise above I didn’t look back when I crossed that line Didn’t lose him—I got myself back this time Yeah, leaving wasn’t sudden, it was slow and real But I’m gone now… And I finally feel like me again [Outro – soft resolve; gentle, hopeful, almost spoken-sung] Sometimes you don’t leave in a storm Sometimes you leave The moment you realize You deserve more

When I Started Leaving