Verse 1 (Finger-picked acoustic guitar, soft and reflective) There's a photograph of a younger me, a stranger almost. Before the storm moved in, before I found the cost. The sun was always brighter then, the nights a little longer. Didn't know that breaking down was gonna make me stronger. Fought my battles on the playground, scraped my knee and cried. Thought that was hardship, with nowhere left to hide. Those were the good times, didn't know how good they were. Before a chilling whisper made my whole world blur. Chorus (Building with a steady, driving drum beat and electric guitar) Yeah, the road got rougher than I ever could have known. Facing down a darkness growing in my bone. Lost my hair and lost my way, lost my sense of feeling. But I wasn't gonna let it steal my soul—I started healing. And I got knocked down, but I got up again. Survived the hardest fight and found a loyal friend. Looking back, the hardship was the making of the man. Built a skyscraper from the ash of a broken plan. Verse 2 (Music pulls back slightly, more intimate and melodic) The bad days were a blur of numbers, scans, and waiting rooms. But sometimes in the darkness, a flicker of light blooms. A kind hand held, a whispered word, a comfort in the pain. A moment of pure sunshine breaking through the rain. I saw the truth in simple things, a cup of coffee served. The easy laughs with loved ones that I hadn't yet deserved. When you're pushed against the limit, you find what's really real. The love that carries you, the way that a good day feels. Chorus (Powerful and anthemic, with background harmonies) Yeah, the road got rougher than I ever could have known. Facing down a darkness growing in my bone. Lost my hair and lost my way, lost my sense of feeling. But I wasn't gonna let it steal my soul—I started healing. And I got knocked down, but I got up again. Survived the hardest fight and found my Aunt was my loyal friend. Looking back, the hardship was the making of the man. Built a skyscraper from the ash of a broken plan. Bridge (Tempo slows, a lone, soaring guitar riff) Every scar tells a story, every ache a truth. A testament to what was lost, and what reclaimed its youth. I'm not the same person who went down that road. I'm stronger for the burden and the heavy load. The "before" and "after" feel like two different lives. But the good times are sweeter now; the old spirit revives. Outro (Music returns to a driving rhythm, with a hopeful, echoing vocal line) I will survive! Won't stop, won't give up, I'm alive. Every breath is a battle I won. Look at me now, look at what I've become. The good times, the hard times, they all made me. And I'm still standing. I'm still standing. I'm still standing.