She Means He

[Verse 1]
You said you’re proud of me
Coffee steam between our hands
Said you’d be there come what may
Said you’d try to understand
[Pre-Chorus]
Then we’re in that waiting room
Buzzing lights and rubber chairs
Doctor says “She
” like it’s nothing
You cut through the air
[Chorus]
You say she
You say he
Pull the ground right out from under me
You say love
Then you bleed
On the name that lets me finally breathe
You hold me
Then you hit me with your “he”
And it breaks me
[Verse 2]
Car ride home
The silence burns
You tap the wheel
You change the words
“Stop this phase
You’re still my son”
Like my life is something you can turn
[Pre-Chorus]
I’m staring at the window
Counting raindrops as they fall
Trying not to disappear
Inside your “that’s not you at all”
[Chorus]
You say she
You say he
Pull the ground right out from under me
You say love
Then you bleed
On the name that lets me finally breathe
You hold me
Then you hit me with your “he”
And it breaks me
[Bridge]
I’m not your headline to correct
Not a spelling you can fix
I am sore bones
Soft voice
Real breath
I am here in every risk
If you can’t say my name right
Can you really say you care?
I’m your child standing shaking
Right in front of you
Right there
[Chorus]
You say she
You say he
Pull the ground right out from under me
You say love
Then you bleed
On the name that lets me finally breathe
[Outro]
One day I’ll hold myself
The way I wished you’d hold me
Until then I keep repeating
Who I am
Who I am
Quietly

Stripped indie-folk ballad with soft fingerpicked guitar, warm upright bass, and intimate female vocals right in front of the mix. Verses stay hushed and fragile; chorus blooms with subtle harmonies and a pad swelling underneath. Bridge leans into a cracked, almost spoken delivery, then final chorus falls back to nearly a cappella before a gentle guitar outro.