paralyzed

Lyrics

[Verse 1 - fingerpicked acoustic guitar, warm pedal steel, intimate male vocal]
Morning light leans through the blinds
But I’m still tangled in the night
Coffee’s cold, the house is quiet
My heartbeat’s loud, but I can’t fight it
I see your coat still on the chair
Like you might walk back in from somewhere
But the door stays closed, the hallway’s still
And I’m standing here against my will

[Pre-Chorus - steady drums enter, rising fiddle, trembling harmony]
I keep telling myself to move on
Put one foot down and carry on
But every road leads back to you
And I don’t know what else to do

[Chorus - full band, soaring steel guitar, aching harmonies]
I’m paralyzed, stuck in the middle
Of this goodbye and a little hope
Like a truck stuck deep in a river
I can’t drive out, can’t let go
Your memory’s got me bound up tight
No matter how I try
I’m alive, but only barely
Baby, since you left, I’m paralyzed

[Verse 2 - fuller drums, mournful dobro, tender but strained vocal]
Neighbors wave, the world keeps turning
Kids still laugh and fires keep burning
But I’m a shadow in my own front yard
Trying to mend what’s torn apart
I go to church, I bow my head
Pray for peace, for words unsaid
Still that empty space beside me
Feels like a chain I can’t break free

[Pre-Chorus - lifted harmonies, fiddle climbing higher]
I keep telling myself tomorrow
Won’t be shaped by all this sorrow
But every dawn feels just the same
And I still answer to your name

[Chorus - full band, bigger harmonies, steel guitar lead]
I’m paralyzed, stuck in the middle
Of this goodbye and a little hope
Like a truck stuck deep in a river
I can’t drive out, can’t let go
Your memory’s got me bound up tight
No matter how I try
I’m alive, but only barely
Baby, since you left, I’m paralyzed

[Bridge - stripped back piano and pedal steel, vulnerable vocal]
If I could shake this ache off my bones
I’d find my way back home
But home ain’t home without your light
So I’m still frozen in this fight

[Final Chorus - full band, emotional lift, stacked vocals, soaring fiddle outro]
I’m paralyzed, stuck in the middle
Of this goodbye and a little hope
Like a truck stuck deep in a river
I can’t drive out, can’t let go
Your memory’s got me bound up tight
No matter how I try
I’m alive, but only barely
Baby, since you left, I’m paralyzed

[Outro - fading acoustic guitar, soft steel guitar, breathy vocal]
Yeah, I’m paralyzed
Still paralyzed