WAITING FOR THE BLOW

Lyrics

Verse 1 He hears an accusation in an innocent hello, Finds a hidden blade in every word he doesn’t know. You can reach to hold his hand, he’ll swear you raised a fist, ’Cause a man who’s made a lifetime hurting people Knows exactly what revenge is. He keeps his back against the wall, Keeps a reason for it all, Turns a question to a courtroom, Turns a whisper to a war. And every time somebody loves him He starts looking for the door, ’Cause he knows what he has done And thinks he knows what’s coming for him. Chorus He’s always waiting for the blow, For the other shoe to fall, Takes everything so personal ’Cause he knows he earned it all. Every silence sounds like judgment, Every kindness feels like debt, He’s been waiting on the punishment That hasn’t found him yet. So he bites before he’s bitten, Throws the first stone just in case, Sees the ghosts of all his cruelty In every stranger’s face. He calls it self-protection, But somewhere deep below, He’s not scared of being hurt— He’s scared he’ll finally get what he’s owed. Verse 2 He remembers every bridge he burned, Every heart he left in smoke, Every wound he called an accident, Every promise that he broke. There were people asking mercy While he watched them come undone, Now mercy makes him nervous When he’s the one receiving some. So when you tell him that you love him, He hears, “I know what you did.” When you say, “We need to talk,” He’s that guilty little kid. But guilt can wear the armor Of a man who won’t confess, And shame can turn to anger When the truth gets too close to his chest. Chorus He’s always waiting for the blow, For the other shoe to fall, Takes everything so personal ’Cause he knows he earned it all. Every silence sounds like judgment, Every kindness feels like debt, He’s been waiting on the punishment That hasn’t found him yet. So he bites before he’s bitten, Throws the first stone just in case, Sees the ghosts of all his cruelty In every stranger’s face. He calls it self-protection, But somewhere deep below, He’s not scared of being hurt— He’s scared he’ll finally get what he’s owed. Bridge Maybe hell ain’t fire. Maybe hell’s a quiet room Where nobody comes to hurt you And you’re left alone with you. No enemy to blame it on, No battle left to win, Just every scar you handed out Coming home beneath your skin. And the cruelest kind of justice Isn’t blood and isn’t pain— It’s finally becoming human And remembering every name. Final Chorus Still he’s waiting for the blow, But it never comes at all, No thunder from the heavens, No handwriting on the wall. Just a mirror in the morning And the years he can’t reset, And the terrible realization: Being sorry isn’t payment for a debt. He can flinch at every kindness, He can barricade his soul, But suffering won’t heal the people That he hurt to make himself feel whole. If he wants to face the damage, There’s a harder road to go— Stop waiting to be punished, Start repairing what he broke. Outro He spent his whole life on defense, Waiting for the world to swing. Never knew accepting what he’d done Would be the harder thing. And maybe what he deserves Isn’t another wound to hold— It’s to live long enough to change While carrying what he knows.