Ink and Ashes

[Intro]
[Soft acoustic guitar fingerpicking, somber piano]

[Verse 1]
Back in twenty-seventeen, the weight began to show
Stress upon my shoulders with nowhere left to go
Then twenty-twenty came around, the world locked down in fear
Working endless hours through a long and lonely year
A stubborn ache of tension settled deep inside my neck
Two years on a waiting list, my spirit on the edge

[Verse 2]
November brought the violence, a cut beneath my eye
Bruises in the darkness beneath an autumn sky
By February's winter, the tears began to fall
Hard to see the sunlight with my back against the wall
Searching through the medicine to calm the storm inside
Holding onto courage though I wanted just to hide

[Verse 3]
April brought the sharpest pain, a blade against my hand
I gathered up my bravery to make a final stand
April twenty-fifth, the court had signed the page
A legal wall of armor to protect me from the rage
A secret street in Port Talbot, a fresh and quiet start
A hidden destination for a bruised and hopeful heart

[Chorus]
[Full band enters, drums and bass, powerful emotional vocals]
Oh, the ink was meant to save me, meant to keep the past at bay
Instead, a careless line of text gave everything away
When the shield becomes a doorway and the walls begin to fall
The danger finds the doorstep behind a locked-up hall

[Verse 4]
May had barely started when the heavy knocking came
Every ounce of courage turned to helplessness and shame
Forced inside the sanctuary never meant to be known
Seven days of silence, completely cut off from the phone
Until the flashing sirens finally broke the door
And cold steel glinted on the new apartment floor

[Bridge]
[Music strips back to piano and strings, tense and reflective]
Page sixteen laid out the labels in clinical black and white
Generalised Anxiety, and trouble sleeping through the night
A scattered mind that couldn't focus, pulling back from everyone
Trust inside the badge had vanished, feeling totally undone
The doctor wrote a hopeful note that positive results would come
While I was picking up the pieces of the damage that was done

[Verse 5]
Even in a Swansea flat, the shadows wouldn't cease
Hate crime and the stalking stole away my nightly peace
A doctor's letter pleading just to find a safer place
While tears and heavy worry left their mark upon my face
The stress had cost my livelihood, and March brought colder days
When parents slammed the doors shut right against my tired gaze

[Verse 6]
[Drums build up, uplifting electric guitar swells]
By late December twenty-four, I found a stronger voice
Stepping through the Galop doors, making a brand new choice
An advocate beside me with a solid safety plan
To shield against the shadows and protect the life I ran
A non-molestation order to lock the past outside
Reclaiming every boundary with dignity and pride

[Verse 7]
[Triumphant, anthemic, full instrumentation]
Out of all the ashes, a brand new spark took hold
I opened up my own firm, fearless, sharp, and bold
That clinical prognosis turned out truer than they knew
No further tests were needed, 'cause I finally broke through
And looking at the calendar from where I stand today
Those letters, doors, and shadows have all faded right away

[Outro]
[Music softens to warm acoustic guitar and vocals]
From twenty-seventeen to the records of the claim
A heavy price once paid for a careless, written name
Through every storm and silent night, I fought to see the light
And built myself a future where the past has lost its bite
Yeah, a line upon a page once gave my hiding place away...
Now it's just a closed-up chapter, with no hold on me today.
[Fade out]