Can You Hear Me

[VERSE 1 – very intimate, almost spoken]
I learned early how to disappear,
How to take the hit and show no fear.
I smiled along, I played my part,
While every word landed hard in my heart.

I tried to be less, tried to be small,
Thought maybe then I’d feel nothing at all.
I swallowed my voice, I stayed in line,
Believed their truth was somehow mine.

[PRE-CHORUS – realization begins]
But silence doesn’t mean you’re weak,
It just means you’re waiting for the moment to speak.

[CHORUS – first lift, restrained]
Can you hear me, after all this time?
This is my voice, this is my fight.
You hurt me then, you thought you won,
But I’m still here, I’m not done.

Can you hear me, look at me now,
I’m standing taller than I allowed.
What you did back then wasn’t the end…
I’m still here.

[VERSE 2 – strength building]
I carried the weight you never saw,
Every laugh became another scar.
But something in me refused to break,
Even when I bent with every mistake.

I thought survival was all I’d be,
But there was more waiting inside of me.
And for the first time I understand:
I was never weak… I was just alone.

[PRE-CHORUS 2 – turning point]
I don’t need your silence anymore,
I don’t need to hide this truth I wore.

[CHORUS – bigger, orchestra opens]
Can you hear me, after all this time?
This is my voice, this is my fight.
You hurt me then, you thought you won,
But I’m still standing, I’m not done.

Can you hear me, look at me now,
I won’t stay smaller, I won’t bow.
What you did back then wasn’t the end…
I’m still here.

[BRIDGE – the Act-Finale statement]
I am not the names you gave to me,
I am not your laughter or your blame.
I am everything I survived,
I am still breathing, still alive.

And if this is the moment I stand alone,
Then let this be the moment I’m finally whole.

[FINAL CHORUS – FULL ACT FINALE | ALL IN]
Can you hear me?
Hear me now!
This is my life, this is my vow.
You don’t define me, never did,
I’m more than the fear I once lived in.

Can you hear me?
Look at me now!
I’m still here and I know how.
What you did back then wasn’t the end…
It was the start.

[FINAL HOLD / BUTTON]
I’m still here.

Musical, male