Constant Alarm

(Atmosphere: Intimate, fragile piano melody; a low, mournful cello enters gently)

(Verse 1)I learned to read the room before I learned to speak my mind.A house where danger drifted in the air, no peace to find.A father chasing shadows, broken promises and debt,And a fifteen-year-old child who had to make a final threat.They liked me at the school, but I could never quite see why,When every night at home was spent watching the storm go by.(Pre-Chorus)(The cello grows deeper, dragging slightly)My mind became a watchtower that never turned off its light,Always scanning for the rain, always ready for a fight.And now my head is spinning, and my skin begins to burn,'Cause when the stress recedes, my body takes its heavy turn.I am tired. God, I’m so tired.(Chorus)(Piano plays a broader, open chord progression)

'I've been running on an empty tank for way too many years,

Holding up a shield against old memories and fears.

Sensitivities I buried just to make it through the night,

Are finally reaching for the surface, coming to the light.

It’s a heavy weight to carry, but the silence breaks in two:

I’m done lying to myself about the things I’ve been through.

(Verse 2)(Piano drops back to a quiet, delicate pattern)

It took those honest words with you to make the picture clear,To name the feeling in my chest that kept me stuck in gear.Highly sensitive, they say—I never let that word belong,

I thought if I was bleeding out, it meant that I was strong.

Now life keeps stacking up, before I even catch my breath,

Trying to find a footing in the wake of what is left.

(Pre-Chorus)(Cello joins softly, harmonizing)

My mind became a watchtower that never turned off its light,Always scanning for the rain, always ready for a fight.

And now my body’s screaming what my mouth refused to say:"You cannot keep on living in the storm of yesterday."

(Chorus)'Cause I've been running on an empty tank for way too many years,Holding up a shield against old memories and fears.Sensitivities I buried just to make it through the night,Are finally reaching for the surface, coming to the light.It’s a heavy weight to carry, but the silence breaks in two:I’m done lying to myself about the things I’ve been through.(Bridge)(Music builds subtly; the piano and cello flow together with raw emotion)There is no magic cure, no instant way to mend,No switch to turn off thirty years of trying to defend.I won't pretend I’m fine today, I won't pretend I’m whole,I'm just laying down the weapons that were eating at my soul.(Chorus)(Fully dynamic; emotional and release-driven)I’ve been running on an empty tank for way too many years,Holding up a shield against old memories and fears.Sensitivities I buried just to make it through the night,Are finally reaching for the surface, coming to the light.It’s a heavy weight to carry, but the room is clearing out:I am finally standing honest in the middle of my doubt.(Outro)(Piano plays a slow, fading melody; Cello Trails off softly)

It will take it’s time