Reckoning of the Nice Guy

[Intro]
Used to bite my tongue
Smile, nod, then run
Now my shadow's grown
You don't know what you've done (yeah)
[Verse 1]
I was the fallback, late-night call back
Therapist with a heart in a small backpack
Carried everybody’s storms, I was soaked through
Never asked for an umbrella, just said “I got you”
Held the door, let you walk on my spine
Gave you gold, got excuses in kind
Every “it’s okay” was a cut in my chest
Every “don’t worry” put my rage to rest
I kept folding, hoping you'd see
Tried to be good so you’d be good to me
But the mirror got tired of lies I fed it
Said, “You’re a lion pretending, you just don’t get it”
[Chorus]
I’m done being the nice guy
Halo off, see the red in my eyes
You woke up a war I kept caged in my mind
The time of reckoning is now, is now
I bled just to keep peace
Now I’m standing here, calling out the beast
You wrote this battle on my heart with your doubts
The time of reckoning is now, right now
[Verse 2]
You liked me gentle, easy to bend
Soft “yes” every time so your will could win
You said “stay humble,” you meant “stay small”
You meant “stay quiet when I break your walls”
But I got ghosts in my bloodstream pacing
Ancestors in my backbone blazing
They don’t sleep when I bow my head
They keep shouting in my soul, “Rise instead”
So I pull that anger out of its grave
Shape it into armor, not a new chain slave
Every scar on my back is a vow I swore
Every “never again” is a sharpened sword
[Chorus]
I’m done being the nice guy
Halo off, see the red in my eyes
You woke up a war I kept caged in my mind
The time of reckoning is now, is now
I bled just to keep peace
Now I’m standing here, calling out the beast
You wrote this battle on my heart with your doubts
The time of reckoning is now, right now (yeah)
[Bridge]
This is for the days I swallowed my rage (woah)
For the nights I cried in a quiet cage
For the “sure, it’s fine” when it tore my spine
For the love I gave that you left behind
Now I walk in with my back straight
Soft heart, steel gaze, heavy faith
You don’t get to feast on this fire again
You don’t get to name my pain
[Chorus]
I’m done being the nice guy
If I burn it’s to light my own sky
You woke up a storm that was waiting in line
The time of reckoning is now, is now
I bled just to keep peace
Now I’m crowned by the cut-up pieces
You called me weak, now I roar this aloud:
The time of reckoning is now, right now (right now)

rap, Moody piano and sparse trap drums under a cinematic string bed; verses lean rap with tight pocket, hook opens into melodic R&B chant with layered harmonies and swelling violins. Energy starts intimate and brooding, then climbs to a hard, epic climax with stuttering hi-hats, 808 drops, and choir-style backing vocals, male vocals, big widescreen mix., hip hop, inspirational, violin, r&b