Glass House

They found me crying in the bathroom stall at thirteen Didn't ask what's wrong, just said "fix your face, stop being mean" Went back to class like nothing happened, like I didn't just break Teachers saw the bruises, never asked, big mistake Honor roll but couldn't focus, brain too loud, too fast Too much noise inside my head, wondering how long this would last Friends? What friends? The ones who laughed when I walked past The ones who took my lunch money, made my life a contrast To the girls on TV, the ones with perfect hair and skin I wore the same jeans for a week, they noticed, let the jokes begin You don't know what it's like in my glass house Everybody watching, waiting for me to break down Throwing stones but acting like they care now You don't know, you don't know Walking on eggshells in my own skin Trying to be perfect but the cracks begin One day I'll show them who I've always been You don't know, you don't know Graduation came and went, nobody clapped for me Sat alone in the back row, that's my memory Moved to the city with two hundred dollars and a dream Found a studio that let me record in exchange for cleaning the machines Bought a notepad, started writing everything I couldn't say All the pain from yesterday, all the fears I pushed away First track was about my bullies, second about the shame Third about the voice inside that told me I was just a name Labels passed, said I'm too real, too raw, too street Too feminine, too masculine, too incomplete So I stayed independent, built my name brick by brick Every no just made me hungrier, every closed door made me sick With determination, I'm a woman in a man's game They don't know my name yet, but they will, watch the flames You don't know what it's like in my glass house Everybody watching, waiting for me to break down Throwing stones but acting like they care now You don't know, you don't know Walking on eggshells in my own skin Trying to be perfect but the cracks begin One day I'll show them who I've always been You don't know, you don't know Fast forward, now they booking me for shows Same girls who ignored me asking "how'd it go?" Same teachers who dismissed me wanting interviews Funny how success changes the point of view But I don't owe them nothing, not a verse, not a line I'm here for the ones who never had a chance to shine The girls in bathroom stalls, the ones who eat alone The ones who talk to mirrors 'cause they're scared to be known I see you, I was you, I am you, still am Just with a platform now and a slightly different plan To tell the truth even when it hurts, especially when it hurts To wear my scars like jewelry, to walk through the dirt And come out clean, or at least cleaner than before This is for the ones still fighting, this is your encore They ask me how I made it, I say "I just survived" Every day above ground is a win, I'm still alive Still writing, still fighting, still spitting through the pain Still standing in the sun after years of only rain You don't know what it's like in my glass house Everybody watching, waiting for me to break down Throwing stones but acting like they care now You don't know, you don't know Walking on eggshells in my own skin Trying to be perfect but the cracks begin One day I'll show them who I've always been You don't know, you don't know So throw your stones I'm not breaking I'm just waking Watch me rise Watch me rise