[Verse 1]

I’ve spent a lifetime memorizing every single fault I own,

Building up these fortress walls out of every jagged stone.

I see the tired lines around my eyes and the weight I’ve had to carry,

The ghosts of all the versions of myself that I’ve had to bury.

I walk through the world like I’m waiting for the floor to break,

Apologizing to the shadows for every little space I take.

I’m a master of the "not enough," a student of the "too much,"

Always looking for a reason to stay out of everybody's touch.

But then you walk into the room and the static starts to fade,

And I’m no longer terrified of the choices that I’ve made.

You look at me across the table like I’m something rare and new,

And for the first time in my life, I start to believe it too.

[Pre-Chorus]

It’s like you’re reading a book that I thought was out of print,

Finding silver in the gray, finding fire in the flint.

You’re rewriting every chapter that I thought was already closed,

Bringing color to the parts of me I never had exposed.

[Chorus]

Because the way you see me is the only way I want to be,

Like a wide-open horizon or a calm and endless sea.

You see the gold inside the cracks, the light inside the gray,

You chase the voices in my head a thousand miles away.

I’m learning how to love the person standing in the light,

The one who’s finally worthy, the one who’s finally right.

I’m trading in my mirrors for the truth inside your eyes,

‘Cause the way you see me is the greatest prize.

[Verse 2]

When I’m stumbling in the dark or I’m losing all my nerve,

You give me all the grace and the mercy I don’t think I deserve.

I see a mess of tangled wires, but you see a work of art,

You find the hidden melody beating deep inside my heart.

It isn't just the surface or the way I fix my hair,

It’s the way you look at me when I think that no one’s there.

You see the strength in my surrender and the power in my tears,

A version of my soul that’s been hiding for a hundred years.

If the world is a critic that’s trying to bring me down,

You’re the one who reminds me that I’m still wearing the crown.

I’m becoming the woman/man that you’ve known me to be all along,

Finding my own rhythm in the middle of our song.

(Pre-Chorus)

It’s like you’re reading a book that I thought was out of print,

Finding silver in the gray, finding fire in the flint.

You’re rewriting every chapter that I thought was already closed,

Bringing color to the parts of me I never had exposed.

[Chorus]

Because the way you see me is the only way I want to be,

Like a wide-open horizon or a calm and endless sea.

You see the gold inside the cracks, the light inside the gray,

You chase the voices in my head a thousand miles away.

I’m learning how to love the person standing in the light,

The one who’s finally worthy, the one who’s finally right.

I’m trading in my mirrors for the truth inside your eyes,

‘Cause the way you see me is the greatest prize.

[Bridge]

I want to live inside your vision of me,

Where I’m brave and I’m whole and I’m finally free.

No more hiding in the corners, no more running from the view,

I just want to be the person that is loved so much by you.

[Chorus]

Because the way you see me is the only way I want to be,

Like a wide-open horizon or a calm and endless sea.

You see the gold inside the cracks, the light inside the gray,

You chase the voices in my head a thousand miles away.

I’m learning how to love the person standing in the light,

The one who’s finally worthy, the one who’s finally right.

I’m trading in my mirrors for the truth inside your eyes,

‘Cause the way you see me is the greatest prize.

[Outro]

The way you see me...

Yeah, it’s a beautiful thing.

Teach me how to see it too.

The way you see me.

[Fade out]