[Style:] [Emotional pop-rap / alt-hip-hop] [Slow, moody beat with distant piano, soft synths, and a hollow reverb — like standing in a burned house with ashes floating around you.] [Verse 1] Woke up in the wreckage, Walls still breathing heat, Everything I loved is just a memory underneath All these old emotions buried deep inside the floor I said I closed that chapter but it’s knocking at the door I see shadows in the corners when I turn on the light Like the past never left, it just learned how to hide I packed up the pain, but it followed me home Guess trauma don’t respect when you leave it alone I told myself I’m stronger, told myself I’m fine But my chest still feels heavy when I think about time Yeah the fire went out, but I still smell the smoke And it’s hard to breathe when you’re scared you might choke [Pre-Chorus] I don’t wanna go back, But I don’t feel gone I moved on from the fire, But it still lives in my lungs [Chorus] The smoke’s still in the air, Even though the flames are gone I’m standing in the quiet Where my fear used to belong I’m trying not to stare At the ruins of my soul I survived the burning But I’m still feelin’ the smoke The smoke’s still in the air Every breath I take reminds Me of who I used to be And the ghosts I left behind I don’t live in that fire But it still knows my name Yeah I made it out alive But I’m not the same [Verse 2] I’m doing better now, but better’s not healed Still flinch when I feel what I used to feel Still second-guess love, still question trust Still scared that my joy’s just a setup for loss I laugh with my friends but I drift when I’m quiet My mind starts a war and I don’t know who’s riot All these “what ifs” keep crowding my head Like the old me’s still alive even though he’s dead I got faith in my heart, but fear in my veins I’m tryna walk forward while dragging these chains I don’t wanna be broken, I don’t wanna be cold But it’s hard to be brave when you’re haunted by old [Pre-Chorus] I don’t wanna go back But I still feel near Every step that I take Got me lookin’ in the rear [Chorus] The smoke’s still in the air, Even though the flames are gone I’m standing in the quiet Where my fear used to belong I’m trying not to stare At the ruins of my soul I survived the burning But I’m still feelin’ the smoke The smoke’s still in the air Every breath feels bittersweet I escaped my yesterday But it still walks with me I don’t live in that fire But it still knows my pain Yeah I made it out alive But I’m not the same [Bridge] Maybe healing isn’t clean Maybe scars don’t fade Maybe freedom just means You’re not stuck in the flame Maybe growth is just learning How to breathe through the ache Maybe hope is a spark That the smoke can’t erase [Final Chorus] The smoke’s still in the air But I’m still standing here Not a victim of the fire Not a prisoner of fear I don’t know who I’ll be But I know who I’m not I’m not trapped in that wreckage I’m just walking through the fog… Breathing it in

Smoke in the air