Little Me, I’m Sorry

[Verse 1]
I say sorry to the little me
Curled up quiet in a memory
Tiny hands
Shaking at the door
Holding storms I shouldn’t answer for
[Chorus]
Little me
I’m sorry
I kept swinging with the hurt I carried
Every time they say “it’s not your fault”
My chest still locks like a rusted vault
I wanna love me
But I don’t deserve it
I wanna be safe in my own skin
Little me
I’m sorry
I keep breaking where you’ve already been
[Verse 2]
In the mirror
I avoid my eyes
Turn my face from every kind reply
Every compliment
I twist it sharp
Pull the blade across my open heart
[Chorus]
Little me
I’m sorry
I kept swinging with the hurt I carried
Every time they say “it’s not your fault”
My chest still locks like a rusted vault
I wanna love me
But I don’t deserve it
I wanna be safe in my own skin
Little me
I’m sorry
I keep breaking where you’ve already been
[Bridge]
What if one day I don’t flinch at my name
What if soft hands touch the shame
What if “I forgive you” starts
As a whisper in my own heart (oh)
[Chorus]
Little me
I’m trying
To hold your picture without crying
When they say “it’s over
” I still shake
But I’m learning how to bend
Not break
I wanna love you
Even when I hate me
I wanna make space for us to breathe
Little me
I’m trying
Stay with me till I believe

Intimate indie ballad with close-mic female vocals over soft piano and subtle pads; verses stay hushed and confessional, chorus blooms with warm stacked harmonies and a gentle tom groove, bridge strips back to near a cappella before a final, fragile chorus swell