Almost was

[Verse 1 – heel zacht, bijna fluisterend]
There was a version of me
That almost disappeared
Smiling in photographs
While drowning in his fears

I learned to hide the shaking
Behind a steady face
Told myself I’d be okay
If I just took up less space

[Pre-Chorus]
I thought if I stayed quiet
The noise would let me be
But silence has a way
Of swallowing you slowly

[Chorus – emotioneel open, maar nog klein]
I was an almost was
An almost good enough
An almost brave
An almost strong
But never quite enough
I carried every “maybe”
Like a weight inside my chest
I didn’t know back then
Almost is not the end

[Verse 2 – iets voller]
First love felt like oxygen
Until it left the room
I didn’t know how to breathe
Without the sound of you

I turned into somebody
I didn’t understand
Holding onto broken glass
With bleeding hands

[Pre-Chorus]
I thought losing you
Meant losing who I’d be
But heartbreak is a mirror
That shows you what you need

[Chorus – groter, drums erbij]
I was an almost was
An almost man
An almost ready
With a trembling hand
I thought the world decided
Where my line was drawn
But I was only almost
Until I carried on

[Bridge – alles valt weg, alleen piano]
Now there’s a small pair of shoes
By the side of our bed
And a woman who still laughs
At the dumb things I said

And sometimes late at night
When the house is still
I think about that younger me
And how close he came to giving in

[Build – emotionele lift]
If I could speak to him
I’d say hold on
You’re not almost
You’re becoming someone

[Final Chorus – volle emotie, stem breekt]
You were never almost
Never halfway there
Every tear you cried
Was proof you cared
Every scar you hated
Every doubt you felt
Was building the life
You’re living now yourself

You were never almost
Never second best
You were learning how to rise
From every heavy breath

And everything that broke you
Every time you lost

Led you here

To love

To home

To us

[Outro – zacht]
You were never almost

You were becoming.

Emo Pop Ballad – live male vocal, piano-led, crescendo end