Not That Easy

[Verse 1]
I heard my soul speak today
Three words cut through the gray
Said, "You’re still here"
like it was news, like I disappeared
You poured your coffee, watched it spin
I traced the cracks in your favorite tin
Said, "I can change"
You watched the ceiling, kept my name in chains
[Chorus]
It’s not that easy
To crawl back out from what I’ve done
You can’t just need me
And act like all the damage’s gone
I want you badly
But want ain’t strong enough to clean me
You say, "Just stay"
I say, "It’s not that easy"
[Verse 2]
You keep my letters in a box
Right by the door with the broken lock
Read one a year
Like picking at a half-healed scar you fear
You wear my t-shirt, tear the sleeve
Say, "I forget, then I can’t breathe"
I kiss your wrist
Taste all the nights we tried to drink through this
[Chorus]
It’s not that easy
To crawl back out from what I’ve done
You can’t just need me
And act like all the damage’s gone
I want you badly
But want ain’t strong enough to clean me
You say, "Just stay"
I say, "It’s not that easy"
[Bridge]
I heard my soul speak, low and late (oh)
Said, "If you love her, walk away"
You pull me closer, beg me to stay
We’re both just begging our ghosts to change
[Chorus]
It’s not that easy
To crawl back out from what I’ve done
You can’t just need me
And act like all the damage’s gone
We want this badly
But want ain’t strong enough to free me
You say, "Just stay"
I choke, "It’s not that easy"
[Outro]
I heard my soul speak today
Three words I hate to say
"I can’t stay"

rock, Slow-burn alternative rock / acoustic grunge ballad; male vocals over detuned acoustic and overdriven baritone guitar, roomy drums entering after the first chorus. Verse 1 hushed and close-mic’d, chorus blooms with doubled vocal and gritty bass. Subtle feedback swells and a single, ghostly lead line in the bridge. Dynamics rise to a strained final chorus, then drop to a dry, exposed last line., grunge, acoustic, alternative rock, soul, slow, raw