me

[Intro] (Instrumental Solo) [Verse 1] Do you like yourself? The question cuts when the room goes quiet I read it once in a book, stuck like a splinter Not “do you love yourself”—this is smaller, sharper, simpler A needle pricking the lie I’ve been stitching to keep me even I used to think liking me meant just feeling “okay” Baseline happiness, the kind that fades when the lights decay But now I see I missed the whole damn frame ’Cause I know exactly what it feels like to like someone by name [Verse 2] I like people for their pull, their glow, their weird little quirks The way they rearrange my days, make the dark stop working A feeling I can’t spell but I chase like it’s something due And here’s the twisted truth I can’t outrun: You can love someone you don’t like—how the hell’s that done? Affection tangled in disgust, heart says stay, mind says run That’s a contradiction I refuse to learn to outgun [Chorus] Do I like myself… or do I like the applause? Do I like who I am… or the way they nod? I played the part, I hit the mark, I gave ’em what they want If no one clapped, if no one called, would I still stand tall? I crave being liked, hate how loud that hunger screams ’Cause when the praise fades out, I don’t know what I mean [Verse 3] When I ask if I like me, I get stuck in the wires Traits I claim—are they mine… or just borrowed desires? Do I like my grit, or the respect it earns me? Do I like being kind, or the “good guy” label they return me? Somewhere I started collecting tastes from every face I’ve known Friends, bosses, lovers, family—wore their hopes like a stone “If I love what they love, maybe they’ll love me back” That’s the blueprint, the trap, the needy crack in my track [Verse 4] The external volume’s so loud it drowns out my own calls When I dig deep, the overlap feels like a crime What I “like” about me lives in other people’s minds So how do I split it? How do I polish the lens? Find what’s mine when I’m not being seen? [Bridge] I chase extremes to find an anchor, black or white no middle ground So the gray don’t yank me under, drag me down Trap me on an island, no crowd, no praise, no sound Just me and my thoughts for a thousand, silent rounds What would I value then? Who would I be then? [Verse 5] Here’s the part that burns—my inner voice is a knife They’d leave, no fight, no goodbye, just gone So do I like that I’m “kind”… or is that just a costume I’ve drawn? If I’m cruel to myself, am I really kind at all? Or just polite on the surface while I wage war on my soul? [Verse 6] So I’ve been practicing, a weird little two-man skit Two versions of me in a room when I slip Me: “Ah, you piece of shit—what the hell were you thinking?” Myself: “Nah, that’s poison. Scratch that, start speaking” Me: “You messed up. People mess up. You’ll learn from the sting” Me: “This don’t make you bad. This don’t make you garbage” Myself: “…Yikes. That was rough. Let’s try this again” Me: “You’re human. That’s enough. Let the quiet sink in”