War Inside

[Verse 1] I wear a smile like a shield, a practiced line I rehearse all day, Mask on my face, the warm, friendly lie that keeps the world at bay. In the chest a quiet weight, a steel cage pressed tight and cool, Breathing shallow, counting breaths, pretending I’m perfectly whole. [Pre-Chorus] But underneath the surface, thunder hums a hidden tune, A clockwork tremor pacing ribs beneath a calm, confident dune. [Chorus] The war inside is quiet, but the drums won’t fade away, An unseen storm that rages on, in night or light of day. I’m fine on the outside, but the battles never end, A war you cannot hear, a war I’m fighting with my chest and skin. [Verse 2] Weight lies in the ribs, a quiet gravity I try to ignore, Shadows stretch along the mirror, begging me to open the door. I face the glass and see a fighter plated in soft disguise, Fighting silent specters staring back with watchful, judgmental eyes. [Pre-Chorus] Wind rattles the blinds, a storm that never learned to sleep, I smile and breathe in, while the secrets wake and creep. [Chorus] The war inside is quiet, but the drums won’t fade away, An unseen storm that rages on, in night or light of day. I’m fine on the outside, but the battles never end, A war you cannot hear, a war I’m fighting with my chest and skin. [Bridge] Locked feelings coil like chains around the heart I guard, If I spoke the truth aloud, would the walls finally fall apart? [Chorus] The war inside is quiet, but the drums won’t fade away, An unseen storm that rages on, in night or light of day. I’m fine on the outside, but the battles never end, A war you cannot hear, a war I’m fighting with my chest and skin. [Outro] So I keep marching forward, with steel in the chest and a smile I’ve earned, Hiding every tremor, every echo, every lesson learned.