PROUD OF ME

PROUD OF ME

[Intro — spoken / soft]
Yeah…
This one’s for the people who smile when they’re breaking.
For the ones who say “I’m fine”
when they’re barely holding on.
For everyone who had to grow up too soon…
This one’s for you.

[Verse 1]
I came from a home where the silence was loud,
Where love wasn’t something that got said out loud,
Addiction at the door, abuse in the walls,
Learning how to hide when I heard the calls.

Never really knew what “I love you” meant,
So I learned to survive, learned to pay my own rent,
Kept everything inside, never asked for a hand,
Told myself, “Keep going, you’ve gotta withstand.”

I became good at smiling when I wanted to cry,
Good at saying “I’m okay” when I wanted to hide,
Carried all the weight like nobody could see,
And somewhere along the way, I forgot about me.

[Pre-Chorus — melodic]
But I’m still here…
Even after everything I’ve been through,
Still breathing…
Even when I didn’t know what else to do.

[Chorus — emotional / sung]
I just wanna hear somebody say,
“I’m proud of you, you made it through today.”
You don’t have to be strong every minute of your life,
You don’t have to hide every tear that you cry.

If nobody told you, I’ll tell you tonight,
You’re worth the fight, you’re worth the light.
And after all the things that tried to bury me,
I’m still holding on…
And I’m learning to be proud of me.

[Verse 2]
I’ve had nights where my mind wouldn’t let me sleep,
Memories in my head running way too deep,
Questioning my worth, asking “what’s wrong with me?”
When the truth was I was carrying what nobody could see.

I gave my love away just to feel like enough,
Put a smile on my face when the road got rough,
Always there for everybody, never there for myself,
Putting everyone first while I sat on the shelf.

And I know some days I’m gonna fall apart,
But falling isn’t failing, it’s a scar on the heart,
I don’t need to fix everything overnight,
Sometimes making it through is the biggest fight.

[Pre-Chorus]
And I’m still here…
Even when the darkness tells me I should disappear,
Still breathing…
And maybe that’s enough for me today.

[Chorus]
I just wanna hear somebody say,
“I’m proud of you, you made it through today.”
You don’t have to be strong every minute of your life,
You don’t have to hide every tear that you cry.

If nobody told you, I’ll tell you tonight,
You’re worth the fight, you’re worth the light.
And after all the things that tried to bury me,
I’m still holding on…
And I’m learning to be proud of me.

[Bridge — stripped back, emotional]
To the kid who thought nobody cared…
You deserved love.
You deserved safety.
You deserved to hear,
“I’ve got you.”

And to the person listening right now…
I know you’re tired.
I know you’re hurting.
But please…
Don’t give up on the person you’re becoming.

[Verse 3 — building rap]
I’ve got scars that I’ll carry, but they don’t define me,
Got demons behind me but they’re not gonna bind me,
I’ve walked through the fire and I’m still standing tall,
Even when I thought I had nothing at all.

Maybe hope isn’t fireworks lighting up the sky,
Maybe hope is waking up and deciding to try,
Maybe strength isn’t never breaking down,
Maybe strength is getting back up from the ground.

So here’s to the people who feel like they’re alone,
Who’ve spent half their lives just trying to get home,
You don’t have to have all of the answers today,
Just take one more breath…
Then take one more day.

[Final Chorus — huge, emotional]
I just wanna hear somebody say,
“I’m proud of you, you made it through today.”
You don’t have to be strong every minute of your life,
You don’t have to hide every tear that you cry.

If nobody told you, I’ll tell you tonight,
You’re worth the fight, you’re worth the light.
And after all the things that tried to bury me,
I’m still holding on…
I’m still finding hope…
I’m still learning to be—

[Outro — soft]
Proud of me.

Not because I never broke…
But because I kept putting myself back together.

And if you’re listening…
I’m proud of you too.