A letter for you to keep

[0:00] – Intro (Soft Piano or Clean Guitar, Warm Pads Under)
No words for 4–6 seconds — like a parent sitting at the bedside, gathering courage to speak.

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VERSE 1 (Age 3–6) — Soft & Loving

[CLEAN – SOFT]
When your hand was small enough to fit inside of mine,
[CLEAN – WARM]
I swore that I would be the one to keep you safe in time.

[CLEAN – SOFT]
You’d fall asleep against my chest, breathing slow and light,
[CLEAN – NEAR WHISPER]
I’d stay awake and think of everything I hoped I’d get right.

[PAUSE – 1 beat, soft inhale]

[CLEAN – WARM]
I tried to chase the monsters out before you ever knew,
[CLEAN – SOFT]
But some of them lived in me, and I was scared they’d get to you.

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PRE-CHORUS 1

[CLEAN – SOFT, GENTLE]
I promise none of this is your fault,
[CLEAN – NEAR WHISPER]
It’s just the weight I carry in my heart.

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CHORUS 1 (Warm, Tender, “I’m Trying” Motif Intro)

[CLEAN – WARM]
I’m trying… even on the days I feel I’m not enough.
[CLEAN – SOFT]
I’m trying… to give you all the things I never got to trust.

[CLEAN – WARM, SMALL LIFT]
I’m trying… to be the one you run to when the world unravels thin.
[CLEAN – NEAR WHISPER]
I’m trying… and I hope you feel how much I love the skin you’re in.

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VERSE 2 (Age 7–11) — Soft but Heavier Emotion

[CLEAN – SOFT]
You started asking questions that I didn’t have answers for,
[CLEAN – WARM]
About the way the world can hurt and why some people close their doors.

[CLEAN – SOFT]
I stumbled through the stories, tried to soften every blow,
[CLEAN – SHAKY]
Hid the parts of me I didn’t want you learning yet to know.

[PAUSE – small breath]

[CLEAN – SOFT]
If I seemed distracted, love, please know it wasn’t you…
[CLEAN – BREAKS SLIGHTLY HERE]
I just didn’t want you seeing me when I was breaking too.

(this is the emotional vocal crack — mark for recording)

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PRE-CHORUS 2

[CLEAN – SOFT, TENDER]
You never asked for perfect — just for me to show up real,
[CLEAN – WARM]
So I’m trying to unlearn the way I hide the things I feel.

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CHORUS 2 (Slightly Fuller Emotion)

[CLEAN – WARM]
I’m trying… even when I’m scared you’ll see the worst of me.
[CLEAN – SOFT]
I’m trying… to give you strength and still let you be free.

[CLEAN – WARM, BITTERSWEET]
I’m trying… to build a world where you don’t have to grow up fast.
[CLEAN – NEAR WHISPER]
I’m trying… to love you better than the shadows of my past.

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BRIDGE (Age 12–16) — Softer, More Honest & Vulnerable)

[CLEAN – SOFT]
Now you’re getting older, and I see you start to fade
[CLEAN – SOFT]
A little when you think of all the choices that I made.

[CLEAN – WARM, HONEST]
You’re learning I’m not flawless, and I’m scared you’ll change your view,
[CLEAN – NEAR WHISPER]
But I hope you see the best in me still came from loving you.

⸻

FINAL CHORUS (Gentle, Loving, No Vocal Crack Here — Acceptance)

[CLEAN – WARM, LITTLE SWELL]
I’m trying… and I know I’ll make mistakes along the way.
[CLEAN – SOFT]
I’m trying… to be the kind of safe where you can stay.

[CLEAN – WARM, SMILING THR

male soft, intimate acoustic/ballad track with emotional storytelling and minimal production.
Think: heart-on-sleeve lul