Words Leave Scars
The Child I Used To Be
Intro — Lonely piano, distant school bell, whispered echoes
Female — Whispered
They said it was just a joke...
Male — Quiet
Then why do I still hear it?
Verse 1 — Female — Fragile
I remember walking corridors with my eyes upon the floor,
Counting every single second till I reached the classroom door.
They'd laugh about my body, whisper things about my face,
And I'd find another corner where nobody knew my place.
I learned to hide my feelings, learned to swallow every tear,
Learned that even when they left, their voices didn't disappear.
Now I'm older, but sometimes when I look into the glass,
I still see the frightened girl who never thought that she would last.
Verse 2 — Male — Restrained anger
I remember being different, being everybody's joke,
Every name they ever called me, every cruel remark they spoke.
They'd push me to the edges, make me feel I didn't belong,
Then tell me I was sensitive when I said that they were wrong.
The teachers said to ignore it, that eventually they'd stop,
But the laughter kept on coming and the confidence just dropped.
Now I'm standing here a grown man with a life I've tried to build,
But that boy who felt unwanted sometimes lives inside me still.
Pre-Chorus — Both — Rising
Female
They said we'd soon forget it.
Male
They said we'd be okay.
Both
BUT WORDS DON'T JUST DISAPPEAR
WHEN THE PEOPLE WALK AWAY!
Chorus — Both — Explosive rock
WORDS LEAVE SCARS!
THAT YOU NEVER GET TO SEE!
YOU CAN BREAK A HEART WITH SENTENCES
AND CALL IT COMEDY!
WORDS LEAVE SCARS!
LONG AFTER YOU'VE MOVED ON!
YOU FORGOT THE THINGS YOU SAID,
BUT WE'VE CARRIED THEM SO LONG!
YOU CALLED IT JUST A JOKE!
WE CALLED IT SURVIVING!
YOU WALKED AWAY LAUGHING,
WHILE WE WERE LEFT HIDING!
Verse 3 — Female — Emotional
Now the cruelty has a screen and a thousand different names,
Where a stranger throws a sentence and another feeds the flames.
They don't see the person crying when the bedroom door is closed,
They just type another comment, then forget the hurt it caused.
Male — Joining
And sometimes it's the office, where the jokes are dressed as fun,
Where you're told you're being difficult when you won't play along.
Different faces, different places, but the damage feels the same,
When someone finds your weakness and decides to make it shame.
Fast Rap — Male — Aggressive double-time
Every corridor, every corner, every whisper, every stare,
Every time I turned around and heard them laughing over there.
Every nickname, every rumour, every message on the wall,
Every time I tried to stand they found a way to make me fall.
I was trying to be normal, trying not to be a target,
Trying just to get to Friday without somebody remarking
On the way I spoke or dressed or all the things I couldn't change,
Till I started seeing everything about myself as strange.
And the damage didn't vanish when I walked beyond the gates,
It was waiting in the mirror, it was hiding in my mates.
I could hear it when I failed, I could hear it when I tried,
Like a hundred little voices saying I should run and hide.
But I won't let your opinion be the measure of my worth,
Won't spend another lifetime feeling sorry for my birth!
YOU MAY NEVER EVEN KNOW WHAT ALL YOUR CRUELTY DID TO ME!
BUT I'M MORE THAN EVERY LABEL THAT YOU WANTED ME TO BE!
Fast Rap — Female — Fierce, accelerating
Every photograph you mocked, every rumour that you spread,
Every sentence that you planted started living in my head.
Every lunch I spent in silence, every invitation missed,
Every time I felt invisible, like I didn't quite exist.
Then the bullying went digital and followed me back home,
Couldn't even find a refuge when I finally was alone.
Every comment, every screenshot, every message shared around,
Till I learned that even silence had a terrifying sound.
Now I'm standing in the present with the memories of the past,
And I'm learning that the judgement of a stranger doesn't last
Unless I let it write the story, let it choose the way I live,
And I've given you enough of what I never meant to give!
I'M NOT UGLY! I'M NOT USELESS!
I'M NOT EVERY NAME YOU SAID!
I'M NOT LIVING BY THE VOICES
THAT YOU PLANTED IN MY HEAD!
Dual Rap — Both — Explosive
Male
YOU SAID IT WAS JUST LAUGHTER!
Female
WE REMEMBER EVERY WORD!
Male
YOU WERE SPEAKING FOR A SECOND!
Female
WE WERE HURTING FOR YEARS!
Both
BUT WE'RE BREAKING THROUGH THE SILENCE!
WE'RE RECLAIMING WHO WE ARE!
YOU CAN'T CHANGE THE WORDS YOU SPOKE,
BUT THEY DON'T DEFINE OUR HEARTS!
Bridge — Solo piano, vulnerable
Female
If you're sitting there alone,
Believing what they say...
Male
I wish somebody told me
What I'm telling you today.
Both — Soft harmonies
You were never what they called you.
You were worthy all along.
And the people who tried to break you
Don't get to say where you belong.
Final Chorus — Full band, soaring harmonies
WORDS LEAVE SCARS!
BUT THEY DON'T DECIDE OUR FATE!
WE CAN LEARN TO LOVE THE PEOPLE
THAT THEY TAUGHT US ALL TO HATE!
WORDS LEAVE SCARS!
BUT WE'RE MORE THAN WHAT THEY SEE!
WE'RE NOT EVERY CRUEL REMARK,
WE'RE WHO WE CHOOSE TO BE!
SO THINK BEFORE YOU SPEAK!
YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT SOMEONE BEARS!
A WORD CAN BREAK A PERSON,
OR REMIND THEM SOMEONE CARES!
Outro — Piano, fading echoes
Female — Whispered
They said it was just a joke...
Male — Gentle
But it was never funny.
Both
And we deserved better.
