Verse 1 – slow acoustic pick, low vocal drawl] It started small, just a whisper in the back Didn’t mind it much, kinda liked the lack No fire, no fight, just quiet in the chest Thought it’d pass like rain, but it stayed as my guest [Pre-Chorus – faint bass thump joins, building slight drag] Laughed it off at first, said it’s temporary But it shadows every step, gets heavier to carry [Chorus – repeatable hook, pedal steel whine underneath, vocals overlap for empty feel] Emptiness follows, emptiness stays Eats up the nights, poisons the days Nothing matters, not me, not you Just hollow inside, nothing new Emptiness follows… yeah, it consumes Leaves me breaking in empty rooms Can’t fix the pieces, can’t make it right Emptiness follows me into the night [Verse 2 – add soft, distant banjo pluck, keep it sparse] Daytime smiles, hang with the crowd Laugh like I’m fine, say it out loud But they push away when the real me shows Annoyed with the mess that nobody knows Pleasing ’em all with a mask I wear thin Falling apart where the cracks let it in [Pre-Chorus – same drag, vocals crack a bit] Try to change it, hate who I see But it’s me in the mirror, won’t let me be free [Chorus – repeat with slight vocal fade, hook digs in] Emptiness follows, emptiness stays Eats up the nights, poisons the days Nothing matters, not me, not you Just hollow inside, nothing new Emptiness follows… yeah, it consumes Leaves me breaking in empty rooms Can’t fix the pieces, can’t make it right Emptiness follows me into the night [Bridge – drop to near silence, just guitar and whisper-vocal, slow build back] Wake up tired, every damn dawn Slept through the hours, but the weight’s still on Don’t belong here, could be somewhere grand But this void’s got me chained where I stand Started liking it once, now it’s all I am A false front crumbling, no plan [Final Chorus – restrained swell then strip to acoustic, trailing repeat] Emptiness follows, emptiness stays (Emptiness follows…) Eats up the nights, poisons the days (Nothing matters…) Emptiness follows… yeah, it consumes (Leaves me breaking…) Emptiness follows… into the night (Yeah… follows… me…) [Outro – fading guitar, soft spoken] Started small… now it’s all… Tired again… same as before… Emptiness… follows…

Emptiness Follows