Hit back

Verse 1 I was raised where if they hit you first You hit ’em back twice Never let ’em see you bleed Never let ’em see you cry Keep your chin up, fists tight That’s just how it goes Round here, mercy looks like weakness That’s just what we’re told Learned to turn my fear to anger Before I learned to speak Learned to guard my heart with silence Before I let it be Every bruise was proof of strength Every scar a badge But nobody ever taught me How to unpack that Pre-Chorus I carried every lesson Like it was law Didn’t know survival Wasn’t the same as love Chorus Yeah, I was raised to hit back Never pause, just react If they swing, you swing harder Never cut ’em slack But I’m tired of fighting ghosts From a past I can’t unpack Yeah, I was raised to hit back Verse 2 Now you’re standing in the doorway Tryna talk it through And I feel that old defense Start rising up in me like it used to It’s not you I’m mad at It’s the years I survived When tenderness felt dangerous And softness meant you died I don’t wanna win arguments I don’t wanna keep score But reflex feels like armor And I’ve worn it way too long before I’m unlearning what protected me From a world that wasn’t fair Tryna build a different future From the rubble I still wear Pre-Chorus Every time I choose to listen Instead of attack Feels like breaking chains I didn’t know I had Chorus Yeah, I was raised to hit back Never fold, never crack But I’m learning strength ain’t loud It don’t always strike back Sometimes it looks like staying calm When your pride wants to snap Yeah, I was raised to hit back Bridge (Soft / Reflective) Maybe courage ain’t a punch Maybe it’s restraint Maybe love is standing still When your instincts say escape Maybe being strong Is letting someone see The scared little kid That used to live in me Final Chorus (Lift) Yeah, I was raised to hit back That’s a fact, that’s a fact But I don’t wanna pass that down I don’t wanna live like that If I ever raise my own I’ll teach ’em something better than that Yeah, I was raised to hit back… But I’m learning how not to react