BONUS: The Spine I Borrowed (1993 Demo)

[Verse 1] I stitched myself from scraps of you, Took your lies and called them truth. Carried the weight, called it love, Bent my back while you rose above. I wore your dreams like hand-me-downs, Smiled through the cracks—I couldn’t let you down. But now I see it wasn’t mine to grow, This spine I borrowed, bent but hollow. [Refrain] I’m breaking apart, but it feels like repair. These bones don’t fit; they were never my pair. Your version of me is a ghost I won’t follow— I’m giving back the spine I borrowed. [Verse 2] Cut my teeth on your mistakes, Swallowed blame until I’d break. Taught myself to walk in chains, Mistook the bruises for growing pains. Tried to stand tall in a body so thin, But I was shrinking from the weight within. And now I’m done with who I’m supposed to be, This borrowed spine can’t carry me. [Refrain] I’m breaking apart, but it feels like repair. These bones don’t fit; they were never my pair. Your version of me is a ghost I won’t follow— I’m giving back the spine I borrowed. [Bridge] I’ll build a skeleton from my truth, Years of silence laced in the roots. No more leaning, no more lies, I’ll crack the ribs they used to tie. Let the weight drop, let the pieces fall, I’ll climb out of the wreckage—I’ll stand tall! [Final Refrain] I’m breaking apart, but it feels like repair. These bones don’t fit; they were never my pair. Your version of me is a ghost I won’t follow— I’m giving back the spine I borrowed. [Outro] This is mine now, every scar and bend, A shape they’ll never break again. The spine I borrowed was brittle and hollow. I built my own, and now I’ll follow. [end]