The Ake Keeps Talking

[Verse 1]
The good news keeps arriving on schedule
A clean bill, a kind text, the sun on the steps
I say, “That’s wonderful,” and I mean it
Then some small part of me won’t unclench

I’ve got work that matters, people who stay
A body that carried me through another year
Still I watch the bright hours passing
Like I’m behind glass, though I’m standing right here

[Pre-Chorus]
I can name what’s working
I can count what I’ve been given
Why does my pulse keep arguing
With the life I’m living?

[Chorus]
Everything is good, and I still feel helpless
Like my hands can’t reach the wheel
I know I’m safe, I know I’m loved here
But knowing doesn’t make it feel real
Everything is good, and the ache keeps talking
In a voice I can’t talk down
I’m not ungrateful, I’m just caught here
With the whole bright world turned up
And no way to turn me around

[Verse 2]
You tell me the weekend’s finally ours
You’re laughing, telling me what we should do
I smile, then lose the thread mid-sentence
Not because I don’t want to be with you

There’s no disaster hiding in the calendar
No secret storm I can point to and blame
Just a heavy little pause in my chest
While the day keeps calling me by name

[Pre-Chorus]
I can name what’s working
I can count what I’ve been given
Why does my pulse keep arguing
With the life I’m living?

[Chorus]
Everything is good, and I still feel helpless
Like my hands can’t reach the wheel
I know I’m safe, I know I’m loved here
But knowing doesn’t make it feel real
Everything is good, and the ache keeps talking
In a voice I can’t talk down
I’m not ungrateful, I’m just caught here
With the whole bright world turned up
And no way to turn me around

[Bridge]
Maybe I don’t have to solve it tonight
Maybe the truth can be two things at once
I can love this life, I can need some help
I can say it plainly, without dressing it up

[Final Chorus]
Everything is good, and I still feel helpless
Still, I’m reaching out for you
I know I’m safe, I know I’m loved here
And I’m learning that can be true
Everything is good, and the ache keeps talking
I don’t have to drown it out
I’m not ungrateful, I’m just human
With the whole bright world turned up
And you here while I ride it out