Lyric

After my shift, cold air on my face

Through the ticket gate, same song in my brain

No clear reason, just running in place

Still my feet keep moving, step by step

They say dreams don’t pay the rent

Heard that line a thousand times

But the sound inside my chest

Won’t lie, won’t sleep, won’t compromise

Met you again, your eyes asked me

“Where you standing now?” in the silence

Between what is and what could be

The air said more than words could ever say

I’m not shining, but I’m real

Still a rhythm in my bones

Long way ‘round, but this heartbeat

Keeps turning pages on its own

Every time they measure me

I shake, but the spark won’t die

Proof that I survived today

Is written in this beat tonight

Future, safety, who’s ahead

Quiet race in narrow lanes

Smiling, saying “I’m okay”

Holding dreams that pay for today

Not the man I thought I’d be

Standing in a different light

But somehow this imperfect view

Fits the way I breathe at night

I’m not shining, but I’m real

Still a rhythm in my bones

Long way ‘round, but this heartbeat

Keeps turning pages on its own

Every time they measure me

I shake, but the spark won’t die

Proof that I survived today

Is written in this beat tonight

Flipping halfway through the book

Living life in between the lines

With this rhythm, I keep walking

To the next page, one more time