[Verse 1]
I cut it down,
to what remains.
No borrowed words,
no borrowed names.

I held too much,
I let it fall.
Now there’s just one -
beneath it all.

[Chorus]
Core...
nothing left to hide.
Core...
nowhere left inside.
Core...
everything reduced.
Core...
only what is true.

[Verse 2]
No higher ground,
no safer frame.
No one to fix,
no one to blame.

I peel it back,
layer by layer,
until there’s nothing
left to carry.

[Chorus]
Core...
no more borrowed light.
Core...
nothing left to fight.
Core...
no disguise remains.
Core...
stripped down to the pain.

[Bridge – contrast]
Take it all...
take it all...
take it all away...

What survives...
doesn’t change.

[Final Chorus]
Core...
I don’t turn away.
Core...
I don’t need to stay.
Core...
not what I became -
Core...
what was there always.

04/25/26 © happyhemul