The Beast I Hold

(Verse 1) I tried to outrun the noise in my blood Tried to bury the heat, tried to drown the flood But it followed me down every road I took Every quiet moment, every second look There's something living under my skin Not a stranger… something I've been And the harder I tried to keep it contained The louder it called my name (Pre-Chorus) It doesn't listen to reason It doesn't bow to control It only speaks in hunger And it's coming for my soul (Chorus) This is the beast I hold Not something to defeat Not something I can conquer— It's something I must meet If I try to destroy it I destroy myself So I'm learning how to love What I've always felt This is the beast I hold (Verse 2) I've seen its teeth in the mirror at night Felt its hands when I'm gripping too tight Every moment I'm close to the edge It's the voice in my chest saying, "Don't forget" You can call it rage, you can call it fear You can call it everything you don't want near But it's older than the mask I wear And it's been waiting there (Pre-Chorus) If I turn away It takes control If I turn toward it— I might become whole (Chorus) This is the beast I hold Wild and undefined Not something to silence— It's a part of my design If I try to cage it It breaks through the walls So I'm learning how to hear Every time it calls This is the beast I hold (Bridge — raw, stripped, primal) Easy… Easy… I feel you I hear you You don't have to tear me open To prove that you're alive (build) I'm not here to kill you— I'm here to let you survive (Break — release into power) You are not my enemy You are not my shame You are the forgotten fire I was taught to blame (Final Chorus — grounded, expansive, integrated) This is the beast I hold And I won't look away Every shadow in my body Has something to say I don't need to fight it I don't need to win— (slight lift, powerful clarity) I just need to listen To the truth it's in (Outro — soft, steady) Easy… Stay… We're not at war… Not anymore