Verse 1
She Knew The Language Of The Floor,
She Counted Knocks Along The Door
The Warning In The Turning Key,
The Sound That Meant, Don't Let Them See.
She Was The Eldest, Seventeen,
Too Young To Know What "Safe" Could Mean,
But Old Enough To Hear The Cries,
And Learn To Read The House's Eyes.
She'd Gather Four Beneath Her Bed,
She Wiped Their Tears And Hid Their Heads
While Shadows Climbed The Bedroom Wall,
She'd Swear No Shadow Touched Them All.
Pre-Chorus
She Counted Breaths Until The Dawn,
One, Two, Three, Four, Then Carried On,
And When They Asked Her, "Are We Safe?"
She'd Smile And Lie Straight To Their Face.
Chorus
She Was The Light Beneath The Door,
The Little Light They All Looked For,
A Trembling Hand, A Whispered Prayer,
A Promise Hanging In The Air.
She'd Say, "Don't Cry, He'll Go Away,
Just Close Your Eyes Till Morning Breaks,"
And Though Her Own Heart Shook With Fear,
She Made Herself Disappear.
Verse 2
She Wore The Bruises Like A Secret,
Made Sure Her Sleeves Covered The Cuts
She Learned To Laugh, She Learned To Lie,
She Learned To Say That She Was Fine.
She Knew The Sound Of Bottles Breaking,
The Little Prayers Her Siblings Prayed,
She'd Press Their Fingers Into Hers,
And Count The Seconds Between Words.
The Youngest Whispered, "Will He Come?"
She Said, "No, You Can Trust Me, Love,"
Then Turned Her Face Toward The Wall,
So They Wouldn't See Her Tears Fall.
Pre-Chorus
She Counted Breaths Until The Dawn,
One, Two, Three, Four Then Carried On,
And Every Night She Made The Vow,
"If I Can't Save Them, Who Will Now?"
Chorus
She Was The Light Beneath The Door,
The Little Light They All Looked For,
A Trembling Hand, A Whispered Prayer,
A Promise Hanging In The Air.
She'd Say, "Don't Cry, He'll Go Away,
Just Close Your Eyes Till Morning Breaks,"
And Though Her Own Heart Shook With Fear,
She Taught Herself To Disappear.
Bridge
Then One Night, Beneath The Moon,
She Packed Their Clothes In An Empty Room,
Four Little Coats, Four Pairs Of Shoes,
And One Last Chance They Couldn't Lose.
She Held Their Hands And Whispered Low,
"We're Leaving Now. We've Got To Go."
The Old House Groaned Behind Their Backs,
Like It Was Calling Them Back.
But She Kept Walking Through The Cold,
With Four Small Hands She Wouldn't Let Go,
And Though The Road Was Dark And Long,
For The First Time, She Felt Strong.
Final Chorus
She Was The Light Beneath The Door,
But She Didn't Need That House Anymore,
She Carried Them Beneath The Stars,
Away From All Those Broken Hearts.
She Said, "Don't Look Back, Just Follow Me,"
And Finally Let Herself Believe,
That Maybe Life Could Still Be Kind,
That Maybe They Could Leave It All Behind.
Outro
Years Later, When The Night Grew Still,
She'd Hear Those Footsteps On The Hill,
She'd Wake And Count From One To Four,
Then Remember They Were Safe Once More.
And Somewhere In Those Quiet Years,
The House Dissolved Behind Her Tears,
But Sometimes, When The Moon Was White,
She'd Thank The Girl Who Stayed That Night.
