Hollow In My Chest

[Intro]
[low vocal register]
Room feels loud
even when it’s quiet
Same four walls
same tired silence
[Verse 1]
I wake up heavy
like the air turned stone
Phone full of faces
still feel alone
Scroll past weddings
new careers, bright plans
I’m here in sweats
and shaking hands
Got a checklist
I never touch
Dreams on the fridge
fading in the sun
Mama says, “pray”
I say, “I’ve tried”
Feel like I’m talking
to the ceiling tile
[Chorus]
Why’s there this hollow in my chest?
Why’s every sunrise feel like a test?
If there’s a reason I’m still breathing
some kind of grace I can’t see yet
Meet me in the mess
‘cause I can’t save myself
from this hollow in my chest
[Verse 2]
Dark thoughts circle
like they know my name
Tell me I’m worthless
whisper I’m to blame
For every failure
every closed door
Every time they left
they say, “that’s on you for sure”
I replay moments
like a broken tape
That one bad choice
that twist of fate
If I was better
would they have stayed?
If I was stronger
would I feel okay?
[Bridge]
[whispered vocals]
I don’t need answers
wrapped up clean
I just need proof
there’s more than what I’ve seen
Some gentle voice
that doesn’t sound like mine
Saying, “You’re not a burden
you’re a lifeline”
[crescendo]
If there’s a purpose
under all this pain
Let it find me
call me by my name
If there’s a mercy
for the ones who fail
Let it be the hand
that pulls me from myself
[Chorus]

rap, Sparse confessional hip-hop over a bare, detuned piano loop and intimate finger snaps; kick and bass enter only on key phrases for gut-punch impact. Verses in close-mic, almost spoken male vocals, breaths and room tone left in. Choruses open with layered, slightly distorted doubles and a fragile falsetto ad-lib. Subtle organ pad sneaks in on the bridge, building to a small, raw crescendo then cutting back to just piano and voice for the final hook., wrestling, hip-hop