Less Than

[Intro] You said it so often weather like a second skin Gray in the lungs, rust under the grin Every small cut came dressed like advice Every cold look landed sharp as a knife I learned to shrink before I knew my size Learned to read storms in a stranger’s eyes Learned to laugh it off, learned to stand real still Like staying half-alive was some kind of skill [Pre-Chorus] You built a mirror Bent at the frame And I called that picture By my name [Chorus] Less than That was your gospel on my tongue Less than The bell you rang till I went numb Less than The shape you needed me to wear But I’m not yours now And I was never theirs Less than No — not anymore [Verse 2] I took your silence as a measured truth Took your contempt and stitched it through my youth Made a home in the space just under enough Where love ran thin and praise got cut with rough Now I see the script in the wires and seams The practiced doubt, the borrowed shame machine You didn’t name me — you just named your need And dressed me up in what would make me bleed [Pre-Chorus] You built a kingdom Thin as smoke Then called me weak When I nearly choked [Chorus] Less than That was your gospel on my tongue Less than The bell you rang till I went numb Less than The shape you needed me to wear But I’m not yours now And I was never theirs Less than No — not anymore [Bridge] I don’t need the old permission Don’t need the curse reversed Don’t need your hands to lift it I know now what it was worth A lie said slow A lie said long A lie that learned To sing my songs [Final Chorus – full lift, bigger but still dark] Less than That was the poison in the well Less than The little word that built the cell Less than The chain I carried everywhere Now hear me clear — I was always there Not less than Not then Not now [Outro – guitar rings, quieter vocal] You said it so often It almost sounded true Almost