Not On Demand 3:29

PIANO, INSTRUMENTAL INTRO

VERSE 1

Wake up to alarms I didn't set
Every screen says I should care more yet
Before my coffee, before my feet hit the floor
The world's collapsing, headline after headline, encore

They say if I'm quiet I don't give a damn
If I'm not breaking I don't understand
I care, I do — just not like this
I can't carry everything I'm fed to fix

PRE-CHORUS

I'm not heartless
I'm just tired
Of bleeding out for every fire

CHORUS — BIG, MELODIC, GANG VOCALS ON LAST LINE

I care — just not on demand
I won't lose myself to prove I understand
You can keep the panic, keep the noise
I'm trying to hear my own voice
I care — yeah, but on my terms
For the people, the places that actually burn
If that makes me less than who I should be
I'll still sleep at night, I'll still breathe

VERSE 2

Every post another moral test
Every comment section a mess
Outrage dressed up as a cause
No one listening, everyone talks

They want my nerves raw, want my fear on display
They want my sanity signed away
But losing my mind isn't helping at all
I won't set myself on fire just to feel involved

PRE-CHORUS

I'm still here
I still choose
Where I spend what I've got to lose

CHORUS

I care — just not on demand
I won't drown to prove I give a damn
You can keep your curated despair
I've got real shit needing me here
I care — yeah, but on my terms
I won't burn out just to watch it burn
If that makes me the villain today
I'll be okay

BRIDGE — HALF-TIME, EMOTIONAL, THEN BUILD

The world's still broken
I know, I know
But breaking myself won't make it whole
I'll show up where my hands can reach
Not everywhere they want me to bleed

BUILD — DRUMS COME BACK, TENSION RISING

I'll do the work
I'll pull my weight
I just won't live in a constant state
Of fear-for-clicks and borrowed shame
You don't get to own my pain

FINAL CHORUS — FULL SEND, LAYERED VOCALS

I care — just not on demand
I'm not a signal, I'm a man
I won't stay wired, cracked, and raw
Just to prove I saw what you saw
I care — yeah, but on my terms
For the people, the places I've earned
If sanity's the crime I'm guilty of
I won't apologize for love

OUTRO — GANG VOCALS, FAST, REPEATED

NOT ON DEMAND
NOT ON DEMAND
NOT ON DEMAND
(log off)