Lyrics
[Verse 1]
Boot prints on the sidewalk
Cold wind in the late-night trees
Every branch had teeth and
We still walked easy
We bit back every comment
Swallowed every burning scream
Tucked our hurt in pockets
Just to let them breathe
[Pre-Chorus]
Held it all together
Like tape on torn-up seams
Said
“I’m fine
It’s nothing”
While it tore through every dream
[Chorus]
It’s the grit in the leaves
The heart on our sleeves
Every time we broke our backs
Just to make them feel at ease
Yeah
We swallowed the fire
Stepped out of the heat
But I’m done fading to the black
Just to make you feel at ease
(oh, to make you feel at ease)
[Verse 2]
I wrote my name in dust there
You wiped it with a careless hand
All those quiet concessions
Built a kingdom out of sand
I bled in muted colors
So your sky could stay serene
Bit my tongue to dull the blade
And called it “keeping peace”
[Pre-Chorus]
But I can hear the thunder
Rolling up inside my chest
I’ve been playing smaller
Now I’m kicking off this dress (hey!)
It’s the grit in the leaves
The heart on our sleeves
Every time we broke our backs
Just to make you feel at ease
Yeah
We swallowed the fire
Stepped out of the heat
But I’m done fading to the black
Just to make you feel at ease
[Bridge]
What about my shaking hands?
What about my sleepless nights?
What about the part of me
I buried just to keep you bright?
I’m done handing over
Every quiet
Honest piece
If I burn a little brighter
I might finally feel released (oh)
[Chorus]
It’s the grit in the leaves
The heart on our sleeves
Every time we broke our backs
Just to make you feel at ease
Yeah
We carried the weight
Till we fell to our knees
Now we’re rising from the cracks
You don’t get to set the scene
[Chorus]
It’s the grit in the leaves
The heart on our sleeves
Every scar and every laugh
Every shattered
Stubborn dream
We’re done swallowing fire
Done begging for relief
I won’t ever turn it back
Just to make you feel at ease
(never again, never again)