[Intro – Gentle piano only, voice barely a whisper] So many nights… pretending I’m okay… I can’t do this anymore… [Verse 1 – Soft, delicate voice, like sharing a secret] I smiled when they asked me how I’m doing, said “I’m fine” in a voice that isn’t mine anymore. I hid every tear behind my eyes, and kept walking like nothing was wrong. But inside… everything is breaking slowly, and no one hears the sound I make when I fall.[Pre-chorus – Voice trembling, piano a little closer but still soft] How many times did I swallow the words that burn inside… How many nights did I make myself small so I wouldn’t bother anyone… [Chorus – Soft yet emotional, with very faint harmonies] This is what I kept inside, everything I buried deep within me. The pain I drowned alone, the cracks no one ever saw open. I’m tired of pretending, of smiling when I’m broken… This is what I kept inside… and today I let it out… slowly. [Verse 2 – Even softer, voice almost fragile] I told myself “just hold on a little longer,” a thousand times, but that “little longer” turned into forever. I carried the weight in silence, never asking for help, because I thought being strong meant never breaking. But I can’t anymore… my heart is in pieces so small. [Pre-chorus 2 – Voice starting to crack] And even though it scares me to say it… even though everything shakes when I admit it… I don’t want to keep this silence that’s suffocating me. [Chorus – Slightly more present but still gentle, harmonies closer] This is what I kept inside, everything I buried deep within me. The pain I drowned alone, the cracks no one ever saw open. I’m tired of pretending, of smiling when I’m broken… This is what I kept inside… and today I let it out… [Bridge – Heart-wrenching: voice starts low and completely breaks, piano hits stronger chords, strings swell, voice pushed to the edge and cracking] No more! I can’t breathe under this mask anymore! All this pain I kept… it’s killing me! I want to scream, I want to shatter, I want it to hurt all at once! Because pretending I’m okay… is destroying me more than the truth ever could! I won’t stay silent! Not anymore! Even if I fall apart completely… I won’t stay silent! [Final Chorus – Returns to softness, but now freed, like after crying everything out] This is what I kept inside… everything I buried deep within me. I’m not carrying it alone anymore, I’m not pretending I’m okay. I’m broken… yes, I’m broken… but saying it out loud… I’m starting to heal. This is what I kept inside… and finally… I can breathe. [Outro – Piano fading gently, voice whispering at the end] I won’t stay silent anymore… What I kept inside… today I let it go…

What I Kept Inside