Outgrow the Armor

[Intro: distorted 808, distant guitar]

[Verse 1: tense syncopated baritone]
I built a suit of heavy armor
Out of everything I feared
Every stranger looked like danger
Every difference felt severe
Then somebody brought me dinner
When the winter knocked me down
And the first plate in my armor
Fell without a sound

[Pre-Chorus: rising falsetto]
I'd been fighting every shadow
When the sun was all around

[Chorus: explosive soaring harmonies]
We can outgrow the armor
We don't have to live at war
Not every unfamiliar face
Is something we should fear anymore
I can lower my defenses
Without pretending there's no pain
Let a little light come through me
Let somebody in again

[Break: heavy riddim bass, distorted guitar]

[Verse 2: flowing melodic delivery]
I began with little gestures
Just a smile, a question, time
Found a thousand complicated people
Living lives as real as mine

[Bridge: half-time, vulnerable]
Trust isn't blindness
And courage isn't never being scared
It's finding someone worth believing in
And choosing to be there

[Final Chorus: major-key lift, stacked harmonies]
We can outgrow the armor
Let the heavy pieces fall
I would rather build a friendship
Than another fortress wall

[Outro: clean guitar resolves]