True North

It was just another night, nothin' felt off
You were right there laughin'… like you always are
Light in the room without even tryin'
Made everything feel right just by bein' there
I said "I'll see you later"… like I always do
Didn't know that'd be the last of you

If I knew that was the last time
I would've stayed… just a little while

I would've told you what you meant to me
I hope you knew… because I never said it
You were everything I didn't know I needed
God, I wish I could go back a minute
Now I'm talkin' to a memory
Still feels like you're right here next to me
I thought we had tomorrow… I was so damn sure
Now I'd give anything for one minute more

I walk back in and the silence hits
Same quiet hangin' on everything
It's so still I swear I hear the air
Movin' through a room that's missin' you
Your little things still where you left 'em
I pick 'em up… then set 'em back
Like if I move a single piece
I might lose what I still have
I sit down slow on your side of the bed
Hold your pillow… breathe you in
And for a moment I almost swear
You're still right here again

I would've told you what you meant to me
I hope you knew… because I never said it
You were everything I didn't know I needed
God, I wish I could go back a minute
Now I'm talkin' to a memory
Still feels like you're right here next to me
I thought we had tomorrow… I was so damn sure
Now I'd give anything for one minute more

When you hear this somewhere tonight
When this reaches you… wherever you are
There's things I never said out loud
God, I'd give anything to go back that far
I don't know if you'd say anything now
Or if I'm just talking to empty air
I still reach for you sometimes…
…and there's nothing there

I would've told you what you meant to me
I hope you knew… because I never said it
You were everything I didn't know I needed
God, I wish I could go back a minute
Now I'm livin' with a memory
That still feels like it's part of me
I thought we had tomorrow… I was so damn sure
Now I'd give anything… just one minute more

I chose the quiet road when the lights started dimming low
No hand to hold, no last words to borrow
Just me and the ache that finally won the war
I let the pieces scatter where they wanted to fall

Don't wait by the door for a ghost to come through
Don't carve my name in the rain like it's new

It's gonna be okay
Everyone dies anyway
Don't miss me while I'm gone
I made my choice to die of a broken heart
It's gonna be okay
You're gonna die too someday
So die with someone you love in your arms
Hold them tight when the dark finally calls

I watched the stars bleed out through hospital blinds
Thought about calling, but the line felt too kind
Better to break alone than pull you under with me
This ending's mine — jagged, but free

It's gonna be okay
Everyone dies anyway
Don't miss me while I'm gone
I made my choice to die of a broken heart
It's gonna be okay
You're gonna die too someday
So die with someone you love in your arms
Hold them tight when the dark finally calls
It's like the universe served us the same two plates
One warm with fingers laced till the last breath fades
The other cold, empty, but honest as hell
I picked the second one…
And it's gonna be okay
Everyone dies… everyone dies…

It's gonna be okay
Everyone dies anyway
Don't miss me while I'm gone
I made my choice — broken heart and all
It's gonna be okay
You're gonna die too someday
So when your time comes creeping in slow
Die with someone you love in your arms
Hold them close… let the rain take the rest

Every word got a twist in it
Every boy think he's it for a minute
Calls me baby on the telephone—
I found you where I didn't expect
Somewhere between truth and a text
You walked in quiet, changed everything
Like a song I didn't know I'd sing
But I ain't blind to the games you play

Same old line—
You don't even see what I see—
Different man—
You don't gotta fight just to be—
You think nobody sees the seams—

It's your slick little game
And I wanted to believe
Yeah, you play it so well
While you're losin' me
You're beautiful—yeah, I meant that part
But truth don't lie like your heart
Lyin' shows how you live
And it's killin' what I believed

You say you're not enough, I don't know why
When every time I look at you—
You're tellin' lies like it's second skin
Same damn story again and again
Little white lies in a whiskey haze
Everybody stuck in your little maze
I was just tryin' to hold somethin' real…

You say I drive you insane sometimes
But still call me every night
I know you've been hurt before
But that don't make this right

It's your slick little game
So just let me believe
Yeah, you play it so clean
Even if it ain't me
You don't gotta hide… not from me
But you hide in everything
And I can't keep holdin' on
To what you pretend to be

Lyin' shows how you live…
That's not just words…
You could've been someone of value
You could've been somethin' that works
Can't be trusted…
Ain't a life I'd choose
I couldn't look my mother in the eyes
If I lived like you

You peaked young… maybe that's true
But that ain't what I'm gonna do

4:59 on a Friday afternoon
That second hand's taking forever to move
Everybody's watching, pretending to work
But nobody's fooling who
Five o'clock hits and the whole room changes
Smiles show up where they ain't been all week
I don't need a destination tonight
The fun's already starting with me

All week long I've been playing my part
Checking every box, keeping it smart
But something changes when the weekend comes
Like somebody finally turned me back on

Friday Version
Whole world looking different now
Friday Version
Watch me come alive somehow
Hands up, let the weekend in
Leave the long week where it's been
Friday Version
Yeah, that's where the fun begins

I walk in loud, put my eyes on the room
Crack one joke and the whole vibe starts to move
No big plans, just follow where it goes
One laugh from me and the energy flows
I'm the spark that turns quiet into loud
Ordinary night into stories we talk about
That's the Friday Version, yeah that's me
Finally free, finally me

All week long I've been playing my part
Checking every box, keeping it smart
But something changes when the weekend comes
Like somebody finally turned me back on

Friday Version
Whole world looking different now
Friday Version
Watch me come alive somehow
Hands up, let the weekend in
Leave the long week where it's been
Friday Version
Yeah, that's where the fun begins

Some people wait for a better life
Some people wait for the perfect time
Me, I'm just trying to make tonight count
Before Monday comes around

Friday Version
Whole world looking different now
Friday Version
Watch me come alive somehow
Hands up, let the weekend in
Leave the long week where it's been
Friday Version
Yeah, that's where the fun begins

Same cracked asphalt under midnight tires
City lights blur like forgotten fires
I was chained to shadows, counting scars
You pulled up fast, revvin' like the stars
Million mysteries still locked in the dark
We cracked the code with every spark
No more waiting, no more lies
One life to burn before we die

They're screaming we're crazy, let 'em talk
Doubt's just fuel for the walk
Fear of falling? We already fell
Into the rush, straight out of hell

Tonight we live! Flaming like a fire!
Burning all the words that doubted us higher!
Wings on our backs, tearing through the night
Breaking every rule till we ignite!
We are the storm, we are the fight
Tonight we live—no end in sight!

Open roads callin', no chains to hold
Wild dreams chasin', stories untold
People said we'd crash and burn
But we're the flame they never learned
Flying toward sunrise, hearts on the line
No looking back, this moment's mine
Rules were made for the scared to keep
We're the rebels runnin' deep

Crazy? Yeah, we wear it proud
Scream it louder than the crowd
Promise sealed in blood and speed
Tonight we become the need

Tonight we live! Flaming like a fire!
Burning all the words that doubted us higher!
Wings on our backs, tearing through the night
Breaking every rule till we ignite!
We are the storm, we are the fight
Tonight we live—no end in sight!

If the world tries to pull us under…
We'll rise like thunder
No fear, no chains, just us forever
Hearts on fire, burning together
Tonight we become a story…
Written in flames, eternal glory!

Tonight we live! (Live!) Flaming like a fire!
Burning brighter, taking us higher!
Wings spread wide, chasing the dawn
No regrets when the night is gone!
We are the storm, we are the light
Tonight we live—into the fight!

Sun's not up but she's already there
Strands break loose from a tie in her hair
Steel-toed steps on the caliche pad
Clipboard tucked at her side just right
Manway open, she leans in slow
Quad gas glowin' while the cold wind blows
Then she calls it out, calm and clear—
"Ain't nobody goin' in 'til we're good in here"

Some rolled their eyes when she first showed up
Now nobody moves 'til she calls it up

She's got little ones waitin' back at home
Countin' on mama to walk back through that door
That's why she checks every line twice
And don't gamble with nobody's life
Climbin' scaffold, checkin' lines
Callin' readings one more time
Hard hat pulled down against the wind
Little lipstick underneath all that grit
Out here mistakes still carry cost
And somebody's always countin' on us
Yeah, she knows exactly what's at stake
Every single shift she takes

Heater treaters hum through the heat
Separators knock with a steady beat
High H₂S, high LEL
Most folks back off when alarms raise hell
She pulls a tube like pullin' back her hair
Deadly air hangin' heavy out there
Doesn't freeze and she don't pretend
Just trusts the training she's drilled in
Harness ready and the lines pulled tight
Air pack heavy in the middle of the night
Drill or whether it's real, she don't wait
Just steps right in and gets to work that way

This patch'll humble anybody fast
And she learned early how to make it last

She's got little ones waitin' back at home
Countin' on mama to walk back through that door
That's why she checks every line twice
And don't gamble with nobody's life
Climbin' scaffold, checkin' lines
Callin' readings one more time
Hard hat pulled down against the wind
Little lipstick underneath all that grit
Out here mistakes still carry cost
And somebody's always countin' on us
Yeah, she knows exactly what's at stake
Every single shift she takes

This patch'll test you day and night
Chew some up and spit 'em out alive
But somewhere waitin' past those gates
Are little hands she can't be late for
That paycheck keeps the lights turned on
Puts school shoes on before the dawn
So she don't get the luxury
Of lettin' hard days break her down

She's got little ones waitin' back at home
Countin' on mama to walk back through that door
So she says the hard things when she has to
Even when the roughneck boys don't want her to
West Texas dust and long work nights
She's out there fightin' for a better life
And when that hard hat finally comes off
She's still the one they need the most
Yeah, out where mistakes still carry cost
You're damn glad she's the one on watch.

I wore a smile like it fit me right
Played it off like I'm alright
Told my friends I'm just tired
But I was barely sleepin'
You were everything I couldn't see
Every red flag looked like destiny
I kept quiet just to keep the peace
While my heart was bleedin'

And I hate that I still remember
How it felt to need you like that
I was holdin' onto nothin'
But I swore it was love

Rock bottom looks like this
Cryin' where nobody hears you
Sayin', "I don't wanna exist"
But still wakin' up like you have to
It's losin' who you are
Just to keep somebody close
It's breakin' in the dark
And nobody even knows
If you're barely holdin' on
If you feel like you're done…
Yeah, rock bottom looks like this
But it don't mean you're finished

Do you ever hate yourself so much
Even love don't feel like enough
Every word just messes you up
When they say you matter
I screamed inside but stayed real quiet
Learned how to hurt and still be smilin'
Even now I still can't decide
If I miss you or the pattern

And I wish I could forget you
But the truth is I don't know how
You were never really good for me
But you felt like home somehow

Rock bottom looks like this
Cryin' where nobody hears you
Sayin', "I don't wanna exist"
But still wakin' up like you have to
It's givin' all you had
To someone who let you go
It's missin' what you had
Even when it broke your soul
If you're barely holdin' on
If you feel like you're done…
Yeah, rock bottom looks like this
But it don't mean you're finished

The moon saw every tear I hid
Every night I almost quit
Every time I almost didn't stay
But if you're hearin' this right now…
And you somehow made it out…
Then maybe there's a reason you stayed

Rock bottom looked like this
But you made it through the worst of it
Every scar, every hit
Yeah, you're still here in the middle of it
You don't have to be okay
You just gotta not give in
'Cause the darkest place you've been
Ain't the place you're gonna end
If you're barely holdin' on
Just know you're not the only one…
Yeah, rock bottom looks like this
But it's where the healing begins

Black hoodie pulled over my eyes
Faded photos on the passenger side
West Texas wind laughs outside
While everyone I know just passes by
Old friends lighting up my screen
Smiling like they escaped this scene
I'm still parked where I used to dream
Watching taillights disappear on me

Why me?
Did I do something wrong?
Or is this just how the years move on?

I'm stuck in West Texas static
Life leaving me behind — I can't catch it
Running out of time, not enough to fix this
Why me? Does it get better?
I'm okay with being broken
Yeah, I'm okay with being broken tonight

Empty car lot, engine humming loud
Every mistake still circling around
The version of me that still believed
Got buried somewhere in 2013
Dust on the dash
Dust on my name
Same roads, same hurt
Same old pain

I whispered in the dark…
"Does it get better?"
True.
I still keep the photos. True.
And I'm scared if life changed tomorrow
I wouldn't know what to do…

I'm stuck in west Texas static
Life leaving me behind — I can't catch it
Running out of time, not enough to fix this
Why me? Does it get better?
I'm okay with being broken…

This feels like a slow-motion crash
That never actually ends…
But I'm still here breathing
Still here bleeding
Still wearing this broken like armor
And maybe that's enough
For tonight

I'm stuck in west Texas static
Life left me behind — but I'm still standing
Running out of time — but I'm still breathing
Why me? Maybe it never gets better
I'm okay with being broken
I'm okay with being broken
Yeah… I'm okay with being broken tonight

I got that easy kind of smile
Like I'm hiding secrets for a while
Don't gotta try, it just shows
In the way my body moves real slow
Music playin', lights down low
Turnin' every room into my own
Laughin' soft like I got you hooked
Even when the night feels misunderstood

I don't wait, I already know
What I want and where I want it to go
Yeah, I see it in your eyes…
You got me locked in, no surprise

Strawberry ice cream with the sprinkles on top
Lick it slow, make the whole world stop
Midnight makeup, yeah you don't need a reason
You just do it 'cause it feels so good teasin'
Got that glow I can't ever replace
Curves in the dark, that smile on your face
And I don't know what to call this yet
But damn… I ain't tryna forget

Bieber used to be my thing
Back when love was sweet and innocent
Now it's Bruno in the night
Sabrina got me feelin' extra right
I do that playful touch, then I pull away
Just enough to make you beg me stay
Independent, standin' strong
But the way I look at you feels like sin in silk

I don't wait, I already know
What I want and where I want it to go
Girl, the way you move got me in a trance
Can't look away, I'm caught in your dance

Strawberry ice cream with the sprinkles on top
Lick it slow, make the whole world stop
Midnight makeup, yeah you don't need a reason
You just do it 'cause it feels so good teasin'
Got that glow I can't ever replace
Curves in the dark, that smile on your face
And I don't know what to call this yet
But damn… I ain't tryna forget

Strawberry ice cream, let me take my time
Every little lick got me losing my mind
Midnight makeup, girl you drive me crazy
Teasin' me slow, makin' me wait, baby
Even got my grandpa laughin', sayin', "Wait a minute now"
Might just dive into that strawberry, don't know how
I want to taste your lips… soft and slow
Baby, let me stay a while
If it means I get to chase that smile… real close

Strawberry ice cream with the sprinkles on top
Every little thing you do just hits the spot
Midnight glow and I'm caught in the feeling
Losing all control, no use in fighting
Got that light I ain't seen before
Makes me want a little… bit… more
And I don't know what to call this yet
But hell… I ain't tryna forget