Paper Rocks

She says, “hear me please”, I’m listening, I cry, You hear the words that I am saying, But the message passes by. Building on a framework, That appears to be of steel, But outside looking in, The sheets of paper peel. “This is a rock”, they say, A truth forged in severity. Yet beneath its hardened face, The lies fear verity, They taught me answers first, And questions came with shame, To doubt the things they handed down Was sacrilege by name. So when you ask what hurts, My mind prepares defense, I'm fighting ghosts that aren't you, Yet you're living with the consequence. If the rock was never stone, If the steel was only paint, Then let the walls come crashing down, Though every fracture leaves me faint. I am sifting through the rubble, Looking for what's true in me, Trying to hear the girl I love, Through the noise that taught me what to be. You tell me what you're feeling, All I hear Is I've done wrong, A lifetime spent in judgment Makes every silence seem too long. You reach for understanding, I reach for solid ground, But the certainty’s a prison When the truth is all around. What we have is time, And a life that we’ve built. What we’ve lost is time, A life clouded by the guilt. My mind an angry filter, Telling me what’s wrong. How do I hear your hurting, When I've feared it for so long? I dread to think I’ve hurt you, When I only meant to love. I dread to think of all the scars, That came from the fears inside my head. If the rock was never stone, If the steel was only paint, Then let the walls come crashing down, Though every fracture leaves me faint. I am sifting through the rubble, Looking for what's true in me, Trying to hear the girl I love, Through the noise that taught me what to be. The hardest walls to tear down Are the ones I cannot see, The voices I mistook for mine Still speaking over me. I don't need their old answers, I don't need your certainty, All I need is peace and understanding, With my girl there next to me. Maybe the strength I've searched for Was no mystery at all, Maybe strength is standing firm, When I want to build a wall. Their answers kept me sheltered, Not able to be free, Now learning the art of hearing, More than the art of being me. We can't reclaim the years gone by, Or words we can't unsay, But truth can build a stronger life Than fear built yesterday. Chorus: If the rock was never stone, If the steel was only paint, Then let the walls come crashing down, Though every fracture leaves me faint. I am sifting through the rubble, Looking for what's true in me, Trying to hear the girl I love, Through the noise that taught me what to be. .... That taught me what to be. .... That taught me what to be....