The Quiet Amends

[Intro]
[Verse]
Aisle four near the frozen fruit
Found a face from my youth
Nodded quick, kept it brief
Time’s a subtle, silent thief
He didn't see the change
Just the surface, rearranged
I used to want the crown
Now I just want to settle down
Fix the leaks in my own heart
That’s the hardest place to start
[Pre-Chorus]
Surface crackle on the track
No more looking back
The Wurlitzer hums a prayer
Weightless in the evening air
[Chorus]
It’s the quiet amends
Where the ego finally bends
No cameras on the soul
Just trying to be whole
A slow and steady climb
One breath at a time
[Verse]
Thrifted spine, yellowed page
Scribbles from a different age
Childish hands, heavy lead
Words that I once said
I forgive that younger ghost
The one who boasted the most
He didn't know the cost
Of everything he lost
Now I’m buying back the time
Reasoning without the rhyme
[Chorus]
It’s the quiet amends
Where the ego finally bends
No cameras on the soul
Just trying to be whole
A slow and steady climb
One breath at a time
[Bridge]
Reputation is a mask
Character is the task
Who are you in the dark?
Where do you leave your mark?
It’s the unspoken grace
In a very common place
[Verse]
Midlife is a soft correction
Mirror shows a new reflection
Not a roar, just a hum
Look at how far we’ve come
Small mercy in the rain
Healing through the quiet pain
I saw my father in the glass
Watching all the seasons pass
I smoothed the jagged edge
Living out a private pledge
[Chorus]
It’s the quiet amends
Where the ego finally bends
No cameras on the soul
Just trying to be whole
A slow and steady climb
One breath at a time
[Outro]