SOFT ANIMAL Verse 1 My mother taught me how to garden, My father taught me how to laugh, How to hold a door for strangers, How to love without keeping track. But the world has teeth like winter, Cold enough to make you mean, And somewhere between hurt and survival I learned not everybody bleeds clean. There’s a cracked cross hanging in the hallway, Rain hitting hard against the roof, I used to think pain made people wiser— Now I think it just shows the truth. ⸻ Pre-Chorus Some hearts turn into weapons, Some just learn to bruise quietly— ⸻ Chorus I’m a soft animal, soft animal, I know how to bare my teeth, Kill them with kindness underneath, Equal parts wolf and sheep. Soft animal, soft animal, I didn’t survive because this world was kind to me— I survived despite the hell, Still soft enough to feel. Soft animal, animal. ⸻ Verse 2 I know girls who learned silence Like a prayer before they learned their names, Boys who joke through every heartbreak ‘Cause nobody taught them grief. I’ve watched love turn into shouting, Watched good people disappear, Watched anger dressed up as honesty Leave bruises everywhere it’s near. And God, I could’ve grown colder, Could’ve learned to wound first too— But every cruel thing that happened Only made me careful with the truth. ⸻ Pre-Chorus The world keeps handing out armor Like nobody’s allowed to ache— ⸻ Chorus I’m a soft animal, soft animal, I know how to bare my teeth, Kill them with kindness underneath, Equal parts wolf and sheep. Soft animal, soft animal, I didn’t survive because this world was kind to me— I survived despite the hell, Still soft enough to feel. Soft animal, animal. ⸻ Bridge And maybe that’s the real rebellion— To sit with grief and not become it. To lose your faith in almost everything And still let your heart stay open. There are nights I feel the darkness Breathing heavy in my chest, But I think mercy might be measured By how gently we hold what’s left. So if someday I have children, I’ll teach them softness isn’t weak— It takes more strength to stay tender In a world that worships being numb. ⸻ Final Chorus I’m a soft animal, soft animal, I know how to bare my teeth, There’s mercy underneath the grief, Equal parts wolf and sheep. Soft animal, soft animal, This world tried hard to harden me, But I survived with kindness intact— Tell me that’s not dangerous. Soft animal… Animal. ⸻ Outro The world kept teaching me violence. I answered softly anyway.
