ABSENT ECHO
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ACT 3: THE REFLECTION
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7. When You're Older

Lyrics • Breaking The Seal

Verse

Hey buddy… sit with me a minute, okay

There’s something heavy on my chest I gotta say

I know the house feels different lately, feels cold

Like the silence got louder than it used to be before

You didn’t do anything wrong, I need you to hear that

None of this pain is something you caused back

Sometimes grown-ups carry things they don’t show

Smile on the outside while the inside breaks slow

We tried to fix it, tried to hold it together

But broken things don’t heal just because we pretend better

And I don’t wanna teach you love means staying in pain

So I’m choosing the truth even if it feels insane

Pre-Chorus

I wish I could make it easier

I wish I could make it fair

But I’d rather break a moment

Than let you grow up breathing despair

Chorus

I’m not leaving you

I’m just changing where I stand

You’ll always be my heart

No matter what you understand

Even if this hurts

Even if you’re confused

I’m breaking us apart

So I don’t break you

Verse

You’ll have two homes but one truth

That your dad still shows up no matter what you go through

I’ll be at your games, your nights when you can’t sleep

Your bad days, your victories, your scraped-up knees

Sometimes love isn’t staying — it’s knowing when to go

When the fire turns to smoke and the air gets too low

And I don’t want you growing up thinking pain is normal

That silence is strength, that hurting is formal

You deserve a future where love feels safe

Where you don’t carry weight that bends your shape

Pre-Chorus

I’m scared you’ll hate me for this

I’m scared you won’t understand

But I’d rather lose your comfort

Than lose the man I am

Chorus

I’m not leaving you

I’m just changing where I stand

You’ll always be my heart

No matter what you understand

Even if this hurts

Even if you’re confused

I’m breaking us apart

So I don’t break you

Bridge

One day you’ll see it clearer

When you’re older, when you’re strong

That sometimes love means walking away

So nobody grows up wrong

Breakdown

I carry this guilt

I carry this weight

But I won’t let you inherit

My mistakes

You deserve better than quiet pain

You deserve sunlight, not emotional rain

Final Chorus

I’m not leaving you

I swear on everything I am

You’ll always be my son

You’ll always have my hand

If this breaks me

If I lose my pride

I’ll take all the damage

So you don’t have to inside

Outro

When you’re older… you’ll understand…

But until then… I’m right here…