Rules for Girls (Reprise)

[tape saturation, subtle analog warmth] Verse 1 I kept your words in a box for years, All those lessons carved in fear. Be quiet, be kind, be less than loud — But I’m not angry anymore, just proud. Chorus 1 These were the rules for girls, Written small, in someone else’s hand. I used to rage against the page, But now I simply understand. You can’t unlearn what you survive, But you can choose the way you rise. Verse 2 I see the girl who broke the glass, And bless her for the noise she made. She taught me how to love the cracks, And call that healing by another name. Chorus 2 These were the rules for girls, Taught like truth but built on fear. Now I hum them like old hymns, Softly fading, year by year. I don’t need to burn — the smoke has cleared, And peace is louder than they feared. Bridge Let the daughters speak in full, Let the mothers rest their case. We don’t owe apology For taking up our space. Final Chorus These were the rules for girls, But we wrote better lines in time. Every scar became a verse, Every silence turned to rhyme. I kept my name, my fire, my vow — And I forgive the world, somehow.