The call comes in at 2:13 Voice like static, keep it clean Hospital light through borrowed shoes They nod like there’s a way to choose Paper cup and a plastic chair Practice breathing like someone cares Sign the line, don’t shake the pen This is how adults pretend Pre-Chorus Grief is fine in measured doses Just don’t make the room uncomfortable Chorus Keep it together, that’s the rule No one respects a breaking tool The house can flood, the job can burn Just don’t let the composure turn Panic doesn’t interview well Mess won’t climb the salary shell Silence is sharp and always wins Control is currency under the skin Verse 2 Empty side of a king-size bed Scroll past photos of what they said Lawyer’s voice in a carpeted hall They say it’s common, happens to all Card declines in a grocery line Smile thin, say “that’s fine” Funeral clothes still fit just right Nothing dramatic in black and white Pre-Chorus There’s a script for everything Just don’t improvise the suffering Chorus Keep it together, that’s the rule Crying makes the strong look cruel The roof can cave, the lease can end Just shake the hand and recommend Collapse is human, that’s understood But losing form is never good Polish the bruise, don’t explain Pain is private. Loss is stain. Bridge They rehearse the steady voice Like calm was ever a choice The world splits clean down the seam But professionalism redeems Final Chorus Keep it level, keep it light Even when nothing feels right Let the life events take their toll Just don’t mismanage the role Because the tragedy isn’t the fall — It’s reacting wrong at all.
