She’s staring in the mirror, one hand on the glass,
trying to see her beauty through an ugly past.
But all she sees is a heart that’s turning black.
She’s never felt love penetrate her shell
so she cries aloud that she hates herself.
She almost hears her reflection whisper back:

“Don’t you dare act like I’m feeling fine! We both know I’m not.
Don’t you wait around expecting me to fix myself.
Don’t you roll your eyes. Don’t you dare just write me off.
Don’t you lie and say I didn’t ask for help.
Don’t you dare!”

It’s quiet in the basement. They’re all upstairs
having the time of their lives, caught unaware.
Underneath their noise they can’t hear a breaking heart.
His daddy’s gun sits by the suicide note
Now he’s reading over all the words he wrote
to get the courage he needs to blow his life apart:

“Don’t you dare act like I’m feeling fine! We both know I’m not.
Don’t you wait around expecting me to fix myself.
Don’t you roll your eyes. Don’t you dare just write me off.
Don’t you lie and say I didn’t ask for help.
Don’t you dare!”

There must be something wrong with my heart
because my blood looks black when it’s against my arm.
But I just smile through tears that I will never cry.
I know life’s taken a cruel twist
when I find myself covering up the scars on my wrist
and when every laugh’s another little white lie.

Don’t you dare act like I’m feeling fine! We both know I’m not.
Don’t you wait around expecting me to fix myself.
Don’t you roll your eyes. Don’t you dare just write me off.
Don’t you lie and say I didn’t ask for help.
Don’t you dare!
Don’t you dare.