Lyrics

You walked through halls like painted air,
A ghost in braids, too kind to care.
They saw your smile, not your ache,
Complimented your curls, but not what they break.

At work, they paused for fairer skin,
While you were brushed off, boxed back in.
Pretty meant porcelain, or thinner than you,
And no one cared what you’d been through.

Your friends made plans, right in your face,
Laughed around you but left no space.
Even bloodline love was laced
With jabs about your body’s shape.

So you learned angles, perfect light,
To fake a beauty just for likes.
In private, you rehearsed your role—
Smile like joy, but swallow whole.

Ugly girl, they never knew
The battles you fought just passing through.
You dressed for protection and made of grace,
But still they overlooked your face.
Ugly girl, you hurt in peace—
A silent grief that never ceased.

You dreamed of love with paper friends,
Where no one left, where weight would bend.
But daydreams fade when the moon creeps in,
And hope feels like a juvenile sin.

Now doors stay locked, your scream, a hush,
You’ve grown so used to losing trust.
And every step outside your shell
Demands a mask you wear too well.

The world don’t care how bright you are
If your skin don’t shine like movie stars.
They say you’re strong, they say you’re sweet—
But never say you’re worth the seat.

Ugly girl, I know your cry,
The lonely laugh, the asking “why?”

You learned to shrink, to not take space,
To read the room and hide your face.
You clapped for girls who got their due
While wondering why it’s never you.


So ugly girl… I’ve lived in the margin too,
In shadows that the pretty never knew.
And though the world calls us a waste—
There’s something holy in our grace.
I’m a boy who’s ugly too—
And maybe that’s why I see you.