Could Have Been Me

[Verse 1]
I missed the signs you sent
Left them on the table
Said I had time to change
Like time was mine to keep

I fed the easy lie
Told myself “tomorrow”
Now I count the doors I closed
And all the keys I kept

[Pre-Chorus]
If I had turned around
If I had stayed awake
If I had said the truth
Before it was too late

[Chorus]
I could have been better
I could have been more
(too late, too late)
I could have been better
Right down to the core
(too late, too late)

And now I hold the ghost
Of who I thought I'd be
I could have been better
I could have been me

[Verse 2]
I wore the same old hurt
Like it was protection
Kept my hands in my pockets
Kept my heart in chains

You asked me for my best
I gave you my excuses
Now the room feels full of me
And none of it's the same

[Pre-Chorus]
If I had faced the mirror
If I had said my name
If I had done the hard thing
Before it turned to shame

[Chorus]
I could have been better
I could have been more
(too late, too late)
I could have been better
Right down to the core
(too late, too late)

And now I hold the ghost
Of who I thought I'd be
I could have been better
I could have been me

[Bridge]
What if I was brave
When it still was small?
What if I could forgive
The boy behind it all?

I still hear that version
Knocking at my door
Not asking for perfection
Just to try once more

[Final Chorus]
I could have been better
I could have been more
(too late, too late)
I could have been better
Right down to the core
(too late, too late)

And if I can't go back
I'll still begin with me
I could have been better
But I can still be free