Lay the Weight Down

Lyrics

[Intro]
I kept your names like stones in my chest
Breathing shallow so they wouldn’t shift
Tonight I feel my hands begin to lift

[Verse 1]
Years in armor that rusted into skin
Every line of grief, a seam I stitched within
Carried the roll call, every letter, every sound
Bolted to my heartbeat so it couldn’t run around
My jaw a locked gate, my days a winter town
I walked like a monument, eyes fixed to the ground
Whispered to the ghosts, “If I move, are you erased?”
Loved you like a vigil I was too afraid to face

[Pre-Chorus]
At the threshold where the hallway spills with light
Fingers tremble, slow uncurling from the fight
If I loosen, will the names fall out and drown?
Let the river take the weight, not let the memory down
Your faces in the doorway, gold dust in the air
I feel my ribs unlock, the first full breath in years

[Chorus]
I can love you and still lay the weight down
Hold your names like fire, not a chain around my mouth
I can say you in the open, not collapse onto the ground
I can love you and still lay the weight down
Through the doorway into daylight, I am walking with you now
You are not forgotten when I set my armor down
I can love you and still lay the weight down

[Drop]
Lay the weight down, down, down
I can love you and still lay the weight down (oh)
Through the light now, now, now
Lay the weight, lay the weight down

[Verse 2]
Night by the river where the city hums and bends
I unthread every buckle I believed would be the end
Rust stains on my fingers, proof of years I couldn’t cry
I press your names to water, watch the circles widen, fly
Stone after stone, the surface takes each vowel and thread
Not to bury, but to carry what my bones can’t hold instead
I speak you into color, not the smoke that drew you home
And hear the current answer: you can live and still be known

[Pre-Chorus 2]
Heartbeat rising like the tide against the pier
Palms are opening, the ache is turning clear
If I loosen, I don’t lose you, I just finally turn around
Let the river keep the weight while I keep every sound
The doorway’s growing brighter; all my steps begin to sing
Air comes rushing in and lifts the armor off its hinge

[Chorus 2]
I can love you and still lay the weight down
Hold your names like lanterns, not a burden pulling down
I can say you in the daylight, not fall hard to the ground
I can love you and still lay the weight down
Through the doorway into morning, I am walking with you now
You are not forgotten when I set my armor down
I can love you and still lay the weight down (I lay it down)

[Drop 2]
Lay the weight down, down, down (down)
I can love you and still lay the weight down (oh, I lay it down)
Through the light now, now, now
I can love you and still lay the weight down

[Bridge]
I kept my hands closed, thinking that’s how love remains
But love keeps moving, carving light around the stains
If I open, if I breathe, you don’t vanish when I sleep
You’re the quiet in the river, you’re the warmth inside the deep
So I whisper to the armor, “You have served; you can release”
I step into the doorway and the rust falls at my feet

[Final Chorus]
I can love you and still lay the weight down
Carry you like starlight, not a cross to drag around
I can speak your names and feel my knees still hold their ground
I can love you and still lay the weight down
Let the river take the heavy, I will keep the sacred sound
You are not forgotten when I set my armor down
I can love you and still lay the weight down
I can love you and still lay the weight down (oh)
I can love you and still lay the weight down

[Outro]
I can love you and still lay the weight down