Behind the Mask

Verse 1
I learned how to smile
While my chest caved in
Painted over heartache
With a practiced grin
Masking the pain
Like it don’t show on my skin

Verse 2
I learned young how to read a room
How to stay where I wasn’t seen
How to need somebody
And never say what I mean
I’ve been strong for everybody else
‘Til it hollowed me

Pre-Chorus
I ain’t cold, I’m just tired of bleeding,
I still believe in love, I just stopped reaching.
Been broken so long it feels like home,
But I still want arms I can lean on.
I just want love I can show my kids,
Something real they ain’t gotta question.

Chorus
Behind the mask, I hold it together
Smile through the cracks, no matter the weather
I wear strength like it’s all I have
Behind the mask, I carry the past
Love me soft, make it last.

Bridge
Don’t confuse my silence
For a heart gone numb
I been loving through survival
Since I was young
If I seem guarded now
That’s just wisdom setting in
I ain’t closing the door on love
I’m just choosing who gets in

I don’t need saving, I just need safe
Somewhere honest, somewhere I can lay
All this armor down, just for a while
Let somebody love me past the smile

Final Chorus / Outro
I still want love they can see in me
A softer life than the one I’ve known
If I changed, it’s ‘cause I had to be
Just to make sure my kids feel home.

Trap soul RnB, a little bit of a country twist, female, deep, contemporary, unique and catchy, emotional, edgy.