“Ashes Ain’t Home”

I learned first aid at six years old

Bandaged wounds while the nights got cold

Mama worked while we held the line

Behind closed doors, we ran outta time

I chased a dream I thought was love

Held on too tight, when push came to shove

I wanted more than this world could give

But I forgot how to truly live

Then I fell into something deep

Promises made that no one would keep

Heard sweet words, but they turned so fast

Into echoes from a haunted past

And I stayed…

’Cause I thought love meant holding the pain

I forgave…

When my heart cried out in vain

Ashes ain’t home, but I lived in the smoke

Tried to build peace from the pieces she broke

I held every secret like stone in my chest

Now the silence is louder than the rest

Ashes ain’t love, but I stayed in the fire

Burned through the truth, through every desire

She said forever, then watched me fall

Now I don’t feel anything at all

I was told she’d change, and I believed

Every version of her that deceived

Doors slammed shut with nothing said

But I held on, still seeing red

She would disappear, then come back sweet

Tear down walls I tried to keep

I lost my way between right and wrong

Tried to make weak love feel strong

I’m not angry, just worn to the core

Been through battles I can’t ignore

Carried the weight of broken trust

While everything we built turned to dust

I don’t want revenge, I just want peace

The kind that only comes with release

Tired of the cycle, tired of pain

Tired of dancing in the same old rain

You can keep the house, the frame, the ring

I’m walking out with everything

Ashes ain’t home, but I lived there too long

Trying to fix what always felt wrong

I gave my soul to a promise gone cold

Now I’m walking out bold

Ashes ain’t love, but they taught me to see

I may be broken, but I’m finally free

No more chains, no more fears to recall

I may feel nothing—

But I survived it all

They said I was lost, but I’m finding my name

In a quiet heart, unshaken by shame

Ashes ain’t home…

But I’m going home.