VERSE 1 — (Outward Signs) I walk these streets in silence, Hands deep inside my coat. Folks nod as I pass by them, But no one knows my road. I keep my eyes down steady, I keep my heart pulled tight. A quiet man in daylight, A shadow man at night. REFRAIN 1 — (The First Layer) And I whisper to the darkness, “Why do I feel so far?” But the night gives no answer, Just the echo of who we are. VERSE 2 — (Emotional Ache) There’s a weight upon my ribcage, Like an anchor I can’t lift. A longing in my chest bone, A slow and aching shift. I wake with it beside me, I sleep with it the same. A hunger for a voice That might one day call my name. REFRAIN 2 — (Deeper Now) So I call into the silence, “Why does my heart stay cold?” And the wind says, “Child, keep singing— Some truths take years to unfold.” VERSE 3 — (The Stories He Tells Himself) Maybe I was made for distance, Maybe I was born to roam. Maybe I’m the kind of soul Who never finds a home. Maybe love is for the others, For the ones who fit the frame. Maybe I was shaped by sorrow, And sorrow learned my name. REFRAIN 3 — (The Descent) And I tremble in the stillness, “Why was I left outside?” And the night says, “Go on deeper— Your hurt has learned to hide.” VERSE 4 — (The Wound – Childhood Abandonment) I was small when they departed, Too young to understand. A door closed in the evening, No warm or waiting hand. I sat beside the window, Counting footsteps in the rain. But no one crossed the threshold To take away my pain. I learned not to be needing, I learned not to expect. I learned that love can vanish Without a backward step. REFRAIN 4 — (The Revelation) And I cry into the memory, “Why didn’t they stay for me?” And the darkness answers softly, “Some wounds are roots of the tree.” VERSE 5 — (The Release – Music as Healing) So I lift my voice in trembling, Let the old hurt rise and break. Let the child inside me wail For every promise love forsake. My song becomes a river, My sorrow finds its voice. And the pieces of my story Fall quiet by my choice. REFRAIN 5 — (The Release) And I sing into the heavens, “Take this burden from my chest.” And the sky says, “Child, keep singing— Your voice will give you rest.” VERSE 6 — (Quiet Understanding) Now I know where lonely comes from, I can name the hidden scar. I can hold the boy I once was, Who waited in the dark. And though I walk in silence, I’m not empty as before— For the song that lives within me Opens every locked‑up door. FINAL REFRAIN — (The Truth) So I whisper to the darkness, “I’m not afraid to see.” And the night says, “Child, you’re healing— Your voice has set you free.”