The Witness

(Raw, understated, intimate. Feels like telling the truth over coffee, not performing on a stage.)

Verse 1

I was hired to keep it together

When it was already coming apart

You said you needed a leader

I gave you my whole heart

Verse 2

I led from the middle

Up before the break of day

Taught my girls heart and hustle

Brought some light into that place

Chorus

I held the house while it was burning

I called it love, I called it care

You don’t fire the fire, you fire the witness

When someone finally stands there

Verse 3

I taught her how to hold the keys

How to speak, how to stay

She learned how to be quiet

When they asked me to go away

Chorus

I held the house while it was burning

I thought that meant I was strong

But I was carrying something broken

And calling it my fault all along

Bridge

I drank to disappear

I stayed when I should’ve gone

But I don’t wear every ending

Like I’m the only one

Final Chorus

I held the house while it was burning

Now I build where the ground is kind

I don’t regret the rooms I stood in

I just don’t leave myself behind