Melodic rap, acoustic pop-rap, emotional pop, Vu

Verse 1

I met you when we both were rebuilding
Trying to turn our worst days into healing
Didn't know that somewhere in between
You'd become somebody I'd picture in my dreams

You had your daughter, I had mine
Two separate worlds, trying to make things right
And somewhere in the middle of the chaos
You made the ordinary feel like something I'd fight for

We'd joke around, you'd let me in
I'd start to hope, then question it again
You'd get close, I'd wonder what it meant
Then overthink the very moment that we spent

I wanted you to know that I was different
But I was scared you'd never see the change
So I tried to make you feel what I was feeling
Before I'd learned to give your heart its space

Chorus

I held on too tight
When I should've held you gently
Wanted you close
But I couldn't stand the uncertainty

I made a home inside my head
For things we hadn't even said
I wanted us so bad sometimes
I let my fear speak in my stead

And I can't blame you for needing room
Can't make you wrong for what you choose
I just wish I'd learned to calm my heart
Before it started reaching out for you

Verse 2

I remember wanting just to see you
Even when you weren't feeling okay
I thought that showing up would prove I cared
Didn't see how it could feel the other way

I know what it's like to feel forgotten
To wonder if you're worth somebody's time
Maybe that's why every little distance
Felt like something I had to fight

I wasn't trying to make you carry me
Wasn't trying to make your world feel small
But sometimes all the love I meant to give you
Started feeling like I needed you to solve it all

And that's the part that hurts to recognize
Because my intentions don't erase the truth
I can mean every word with all my heart
And still have things to learn about loving you

Chorus

I held on too tight
When I should've held you gently
Wanted you close
But I couldn't stand the uncertainty

I made a home inside my head
For things we hadn't even said
I wanted us so bad sometimes
I let my fear speak in my stead

And I can't blame you for needing room
Can't make you wrong for what you choose
I just wish I'd learned to calm my heart
Before it started reaching out for you

[Verse 3 — melodic rap, gradually building]

Now I'm learning there's a difference
Between caring and control
Between wanting someone's presence
And expecting them to fill a hole

I've spent years trying to become
The man I always knew I could be
A father my girls can count on
A man who's finally learning peace

And I don't want to love from desperation
Don't want fear deciding what I say
Don't want somebody feeling like they owe me
Just because I gave my heart away

I can miss you without chasing
I can care without a guarantee
I can wish that things were different
Without asking you to rescue me

But some nights I still remember
How your laughter filled a room
And I wonder if the man I'm becoming
Is the man I should've been with you

Bridge — nearly whispered

Tara, I never needed perfect
I just wanted something real
And maybe I got so scared of losing you
I forgot to let you feel

That you could come and go at your own pace
That you didn't have to make a choice
That I could've simply told you I cared
Without making fear my voice

[Final Chorus — powerful vocals with layered harmonies]

I held on too tight
Now I'm learning to hold gently
I wanted you close
But I know love can't come from needing

I can't rewrite the things I've done
Can't make the past become undone
But I can take the parts that hurt
And turn them into who I'll become

And if you never find your way back
I'll still be grateful that we crossed
Because even in the hurt of missing you
I found the things I'd almost lost

My peace, my growth, the man I'm meant to be
The father that my girls deserve to see
I can wish that you were standing here
And still become the man I need to be

Outro — piano and breathy vocals

I still care.
I won't pretend I don't.
But I'm learning how to love you
Without losing who I am.