Open Wounds

[Verse 1] (Rap-rock cadence, heavy guitars, driving drums)* I keep a checklist of the ways I let you down Written on the walls of every single town I ran to, thinking distance was the cure But the problem was internal, that much is for sure I was bleeding out and calling it a scratch Saying "I'm fine" while I was matching every patch Of skin with a new scar, new burn, new brand New way to feel something I could understand 'Cause numb was worse than pain, and pain was my friend The only one who stayed until the bitter end But you stayed too, and I don't know why I gave you every reason to say goodbye [Pre-Chorus] (Building, cleaner vocals, emotional)* I pushed, you pulled I fell, you held I broke, you stayed I can't explain... [Chorus] (Soaring, melodic, desperate)* THESE OPEN WOUNDS ARE ALL I HAVE TO SHOW FOR EVERY BRIDGE I BURNED, EVERY ROAD I CHOSE TO WALK ALONE I'M SORRY FOR THE BLOOD ON YOUR HANDS FROM TRYING TO CATCH ME EVERY TIME I FALL THESE OPEN WOUNDS ARE SPEAKING LOUDER THAN MY WORDS EVER COULD I'M TRYING TO HEAL, I'M TRYING TO BE GOOD BUT THE SCARS REMIND ME WHERE I'VE BEEN AND THE WOUNDS REMIND ME I CAN FEEL AGAIN [Verse 2] (Back to rap-rock, more aggressive)* I was the king of "it's not you, it's me" But it was me, it was always me Self-destructing like it was my job Like if I didn't hurt, I was a fraud Like pain was proof that I was real That I could bleed, that I could feel Something other than the empty static In my chest, automatic Pilot flying me into the ground And you were the only sound That cut through the noise, that cut through the static But I was too damaged to be pragmatic About love, about trust, about letting you in I kept you at arm's length like a original sin That I was scared to commit, scared to confess That I was broken, that I was a mess [Pre-Chorus] (Intense, driving)* You pushed, I pulled away You fell, I watched you break You healed, I stayed the same I know I'm to blame... [Chorus] (Full, anthemic)* THESE OPEN WOUNDS ARE ALL I HAVE TO SHOW FOR EVERY BRIDGE I BURNED, EVERY ROAD I CHOSE TO WALK ALONE I'M SORRY FOR THE BLOOD ON YOUR HANDS FROM TRYING TO CATCH ME EVERY TIME I FALL THESE OPEN WOUNDS ARE SPEAKING LOUDER THAN MY WORDS EVER COULD I'M TRYING TO HEAL, I'M TRYING TO BE GOOD BUT THE SCARS REMIND ME WHERE I'VE BEEN AND THE WOUNDS REMIND ME I CAN FEEL AGAIN [Bridge] (Breakdown, half-time, spoken/screamed)* I don't want to be this way... I don't want to push you away... But the cuts run deep, and the healing's slow And I'm scared that if you see the real me You'll go... (Music explodes back in, chaotic, cathartic)* BUT YOU'RE STILL HERE! YOU'RE STILL HERE! AND I'M STILL HERE! MAYBE THAT'S ENOUGH! MAYBE THAT'S ENOUGH! [Final Chorus] (Stripped back, acoustic guitar, vulnerable)* These open wounds are closing now Not because I'm better, but because you showed me how To bleed without drowning, to hurt without dying To keep on living, to keep on trying The scars will fade, but they'll never leave They're the map of where I've been, what I believe That even broken things can learn to mend That even open wounds can learn to end And start again... [Outro] (Heavy guitars return, then cut to silence)* (Whispered)* I'm still here... You're still here... Maybe that's enough...