Verse 1 There’s a boy on the floor where the daylight dies, Wearing all the weight that the world denies. More than a heart should ever be made to hold, In a broken house, in the dark, in the cold. Dust on his skin like a second name, Pain in his eyes that refuses blame. Chains hum low like a cruel refrain, Every breath a question, every pulse a pain. (soft inhale, almost spoken) Pre-Chorus I didn’t come looking for ghosts tonight, But this place was calling me into its light. My hand on the door, my heart in my throat, I step inside what the world forgot. Chorus Don’t come closer— I hear you say, Your voice a shield, your fear on display. You don’t know my face, you don’t know my name, Just shadows of men and the echo of chains. But I’m standing here, and I’m not them, no, I’m standing here, and I need you to know. (brief silence) Verse 2 The door creaks loud like a warning cry, And you flinch like the past just walked back inside. Arms up high, instinctive prayer, Learning too young that the world’s not fair. Sunlight cuts through the dust in the air, You shrink from it like it doesn’t belong there. Your breath is shallow, your hope is thin, Still caught between surviving and giving in. Pre-Chorus I see the fear you never chose, The truth your body already knows. If I take one step, will it break you apart? So I stay right here and I open my heart. Chorus “Don’t come closer!”— your panic screams, Trapped between nightmares and fragile dreams. You think I’m them, you think I’ve returned, Another lesson you’re about to learn. But I’m standing still, hands in the light, I won’t move until you say it’s alright. (hummed harmony, low and trembling) Bridge I won’t touch the chains, I won’t rush your fear, I’ll just breathe with you, I’ll stay right here. If hope feels dangerous, we’ll call it air, Just proof that someone else is there. You don’t have to trust, you don’t have to see, Just listen close to the sound of me. I’m not a memory, I’m not your pain, I’m just a voice cutting through the rain. Final Chorus Don’t come closer— I hear the plea, So I’ll meet you where you need me to be. In the space between terror and dawn, Where surviving means holding on. When you’re ready, when the fear loosens its hold, I’ll still be here, steady and slow. Outro There’s a boy on the floor… but I swear tonight, He’s not alone in this fading light. (exhale)

Don’t Come Closer (I’m Still Here)