The Pain I Carry

Lyrics

[Verse 1] Tiny shoes in a hallway Quiet house Heavy air Cartoons on in the background No one really there She learned how to read the weather In the tremor of a door Little hands Little heartbeat Braced for something more [Pre-Chorus] Every bruise had a story Every tear dried fast She folded all those questions And hid them in her chest [Chorus] This is the pain I carry Deep where the world can’t see Smiles on the surface Stitches inside of me You only hear my laughter You never hear my plea This is the pain I carry But it won’t carry me [Verse 2] Teenage room with the blinds shut Writing secrets in a book “Maybe I’m the problem” Was the line that always stuck She wore long sleeves in the summer Said she liked the way it fit No one saw the quiet thunder In the jokes she’d always twist [Pre-Chorus] She built a life on “I’m fine” A fortress made of “it’s okay” Every night on the pillow Her heart would finally say [Chorus] This is the pain I carry Deep where the world can’t see Smiles on the surface Stitches inside of me You only hear my laughter You never hear my plea This is the pain I carry But it won’t carry me [Bridge] I am not what they did I am more than that night More than every cruel word That tried to shrink my light I bleed where you can’t see me (oh) But I still rise I still rise Walking with my wounds open Head up to the sky [Chorus] This is the pain I carry Deep where the world can’t see I’ve been breaking in silence Still choosing to believe You only hear my laughter But I know what I’ve survived This is the pain I carry And yet I’m still alive [Outro] This is the pain I carry Heavy But I walk on Bleeding in the shadows Building me strong