You Don’t Know What It Took

Yeah…

You see me standing, you don’t see the fight,

I learned how to smile with tears in my eyes.

Everybody sees the soldier, thinks I’m made of stone,

But some of my hardest battles I fought alone.

I put on my uniform, tuck my pain away,

Show up for formation like I’m fine every day.

Got a war in my body, got a war in my mind,

Still chasing my dreams when I’m running on empty inside.

I’ve cried in silence, questioned my worth,

Tried to build a future while surviving the hurt.

PCOS, heavy feelings, dreams of a family someday,

Fighting battles with my body that I can’t explain.

I wanna be a mother, build a home on a hill,

Find peace in my heart, let the noise finally still.

But I’m carrying tomorrow while I’m fighting today,

And nobody sees the price that I pay.

You don’t know what it took just to get here,

How I smiled through the pain and swallowed my tears.

You see a strong girl, think nothing gets through,

But there’s a side of my soul that I hide from you.

I’m tired, I’m trying, still chasing the light,

Fighting for the future I see in my mind.

What you see outside isn’t what’s inside,

I’m still standing, but God knows I’ve cried.

I’ve loved with my whole heart, feared losing what’s mine,

Wanted reassurance while pretending I’m fine.

I dream of a family, dogs running free,

A house in the mountains where my heart can breathe.

I’ve been scared of my future, still showed up to fight,

Had days when I felt weak but kept reaching for light.

I wanna work in medicine, prove I’m more than my pain,

Turn everything that broke me into something I can change.

And to the girl in the mirror who thinks she’s behind,

You’re not weak for being tired, you’re still learning to shine.

You don’t have to earn love by being strong every day,

You deserve to be held, too, when you break.

You don’t know what it took just to get here,

All the silent battles nobody could hear.

I’m more than my struggles, more than my scars,

I’m a girl building a future while healing her heart.

One day, that mountain home won’t just live in my dreams,

I’ll have peace, I’ll have love, I’ll be who I believe.

You judged the outside, never looked within,

You don’t know what it took just to keep fighting again.

I’m not just what happened.

I’m everything I’m fighting to become.

And if you see me smiling tomorrow…

Remember, you don’t know what it took.