When The House Went Quiet

[Vocal Intro]-(Almost spoken. Counted breath. One low guitar note)
You wanna know....
what happened....
Okay.
I didn’t scream....
I didn’t run....
I listened....
until....
the house....
went....
quiet....

[Verse 1]-(Sparse pulse. Each phrase hangs)
We looked like something worth saving
smiles nailed up for the crowd
behind that door
he learned my body
like a language
you only speak
out loud
he struck like he was scared of me
then held me like I was his cure
every bruise a private promise
every sorry
rehearsed
and poor

(full silence)

I wanted a fairytale
but fairytales
don’t bleed
this much

[Pre-Chorus]-(Tightening by subtraction)
I waited for a hero
none of them showed up
when survival starts doing math
love
is never
enough
(if I didn’t end it
it was gonna end
me)

[Chorus]-(Ritual release. Heavier, not louder)
you hate that you can’t control me
you hate I saw your shape
a hollow man
with monster hands
a crown
made out of rage
you said you’d keep me safe at night
I was supposed to be your wife
I chose breath over begging
and I chose
life

[Verse 2]-(Calm. Surgical)
he liked to make me look unstable
pain first
then mercy next
sweet apologies split my lip
love
written like
a threat
stress, money, same excuse
I didn’t mean it on repeat
funny how his faith appeared
when his power
finally
slipped

(long pause)

[Guitar Solo 1]-(Single sustained notes. Feedback breathes)

[Pre-Chorus 2]-(Even quieter. Icy)
they say nobody saves the girl
who stays too long in fire
but fire learns respect real fast
when it meets something
colder
than desire

[Chorus]-(Same melody. More weight)
you hate that you can’t control me
you hate I took the power
you built a cage around my name
I walked out
after hours
you said you wanted to save me
but loved me on my knees
now I sleep without your shadow
or your hands
on me

[Bridge]-(Spoken-sung. Dead calm)
he pushed me to the edge
thought I’d break and pray
didn’t know I’d crawl back up
with his echo
still in my veins
monsters lose their power
when fear
refuses
to kneel

[Verse 3]-(Controlled. No rush)
he mistook my silence for weakness
mistook mercy for a lie
when the noise finally stopped
so did
his
hold
on my life
he begged, he cried, he said my name
and I felt nothing
but air
again

[Guitar Solo 2]-(Doom swell. Sudden cut)

[Hook]-(Soft chant. Loopable)
you hate that I survived you
you hate I’m still here
you hate I took the power
out of everything
you feared

[Vocal Outro]-(Bare voice)
He won’t touch me again.
He won’t speak over me again.
Didn’t know what I was capable of....
Now
I do.