Heaven on Earth:
The Awakening

[Intro - 0:00]
(Soft piano, single voice humming)
Mmm... for the children...

[Verse 1 - 0:15]
She's seven years old, wearing yesterday's clothes
Packed her own lunch 'cause her mama overdosed
Gets to school early 'cause school is safe
Teacher sees the bruises but looks the other way
He's twelve years old, been the man of the house
Since daddy disappeared, mama's working two jobs now
Reads below his grade but nobody has time
Falls through every crack by design

[Pre-Chorus - 0:55]
Who's gonna fight for them?
Who's gonna hold them tight?
Who's gonna tell them
They'll be alright?

[Chorus - 1:10]
For the children, we will build a better world
For every forgotten boy, every invisible girl
We're gonna break every chain that holds them down
We're gonna be the love they never found
For the children (for the children)
We will rise (we will rise)
For the children
We'll be their light

[Verse 2 - 1:55]
She's sixteen, already feels too old
Heart been broken, spirit's been sold
Was told she'd never amount to anything
Now she's believing it
He's in foster care, fourth home this year
Stopped trusting adults, just survives on fear
But somewhere in there is still a light
That no one's had the time to ignite

[Pre-Chorus - 2:35]
Who's gonna fight for them?
Who's gonna hold them tight?
Who's gonna show them
There's hope in sight?

[Chorus - 2:50]
For the children, we will build a better world
For every forgotten boy, every invisible girl
We're gonna break every chain that holds them down
We're gonna be the love they never found

[Bridge - For Nevaeh - 3:20]
(Stripped back, emotional)
And to the ones watching from heaven
The ones we couldn't save
Your memory is the reason
We're fighting through the pain

Nevaeh, we still feel you
Every child we reach is for you
Your name means heaven
And that's what we'll build
A world where every child
Is loved and fulfilled

[Final Chorus - 3:50]
(Full choir, building to crescendo)
For the children, WE WILL RISE!
For every tear they've cried
We'll build a world where they can THRIVE
For the children... this is why we're alive
For the children...

[Outro - 4:05]
(Soft, intimate)
Every single one of them... matters.
Every single one.

[Intro - 0:00]
(Warm piano, soft strings)

[Verse 1 - 0:15]
They told me love was weakness, soft emotion for the blind
But I've been through the darkness, love's the strongest thing I find
Not the fairy tale they sold us, not the romance in the songs
Love is choosing understanding when you've suffered all the wrongs
The cynic says I'm dreaming, says the world can't work this way
But hate ain't built one bridge, and fear ain't saved one day
Every revolution started with a heart that cared enough
To say "this is worth fighting for" when fighting got too tough

[Pre-Chorus - 0:55]
Mind, Consciousness, and Thought
The three principles we forgot
Everything you feel is what you think
Love is choosing before you sink

[Chorus - 1:10]
Love is the answer - I know it sounds naive
But I've tried anger, tried revenge, tried everything to grieve
Love is the answer - not passive, not weak
Love is the revolution that the cynics won't seek
Love is the answer
When everything falls apart
Love is the answer
It starts in the heart

[Verse 2 - 1:55]
I've seen a mother forgive the man who took her son
Seen enemies embrace when all the fighting's done
Seen broken people heal when someone took the time
To see past all the damage to the light inside
Science says we're wired for connection, not for war
Competition's learned, compassion's in our core
Every child is born with love until we teach them fear
It's time to unlearn the lessons and remember why we're here

[Pre-Chorus - 2:35]
Mind, Consciousness, and Thought
The truth we always forgot
Your experience comes from within
Love is where the healing begins

[Chorus - 2:50]
Love is the answer - I know it sounds naive
But I've tried anger, tried revenge, tried everything to grieve
Love is the answer - not passive, not weak
Love is the revolution that the cynics won't seek

[Bridge - 3:15]
And I don't mean look away from pain
Or pretend that everything's okay
Love is fighting for what's right
Love is being someone's light
Love is harder than revenge
But it's the only thing that mends

[Outro - 3:35]
(Building to gospel swell)
Love is the answer... (love is the answer)
The only answer... (the only answer)
Love is the answer...

[Intro - 0:00]
(Solo piano, simple and raw)
(Deep breath)

[Verse 1 - 0:20]
I never got to hold you
But I feel you everywhere
In every child I'm fighting for
In every answered prayer
They said it would get easier
That time would heal this wound
But some things don't get easier
You just learn to make room

[Verse 2 - 1:00]
Your name means heaven
And that's what I see
When I close my eyes
You're right here with me
People ask me why I fight so hard
Why I won't give in
I tell them I made a promise
To a little girl I never met
But somehow raised me from within

[Chorus - 1:40]
This is for Nevaeh
Heaven spelled backwards, looking down
Everything I build, I build so you'd be proud
For Nevaeh
The daughter I lost, the reason I found
Heaven on Earth - I'm bringing it down

[Verse 3 - 2:15]
Every child without a home
Makes me think of you
Every life I help to save
Is something I can do
To honor what could never be
To transform all this grief
Into something beautiful
Into something that brings relief

[Chorus - 2:55]
This is for Nevaeh
Heaven spelled backwards, looking down
Everything I build, I build so you'd be proud
For Nevaeh
The daughter I lost, the reason I found
Heaven on Earth - I'm bringing it down

[Bridge - 3:30]
(Barely a whisper, cracking)
I hope you see me
I hope you're proud
I hope heaven's beautiful
I'll keep fighting
Until I'm there with you
Building heaven here
Is how I stay true

[Outro - 3:45]
(Raw, spoken)
For you, baby girl.
All of this...
Every song, every word, every fight...
Is for you.
For Nevaeh.
For everyone's Nevaeh.
For everyone we've lost...
And everyone we can still save.

(Piano fades)

[Intro - 0:00]
(Single piano note, then simple melody)

[Verse 1 - 0:15]
They said I'd never make it past eighteen
Too broken, too damaged, too many bad scenes
Every night felt like my last
Living in the shadows of my past
Pills and bottles couldn't fill the void
Just a child looking to avoid
The pain that no one talked about
The screaming when the love ran out

[Pre-Chorus - 0:50]
But here I am (here I am)
Against all odds (against all odds)
Still breathing, still believing
Still fighting these wars

[Chorus - 1:05]
They tried to break me
But I'm still standing
Every storm I've weathered
Made my roots grow deeper
They tried to take me
But I'm still standing
Scars turned to armor
Wounds turned to wisdom
I'm still standing

[Verse 2 - 1:50]
Rock bottom has a basement
Found that out more than once
Every time I thought it's over
Life showed me I was wrong
The darkness is a teacher
If you survive the class
It shows you what you're made of
It shows you that you'll last

[Pre-Chorus - 2:25]
And here I am (here I am)
Still in the fight (still in the fight)
Still breathing, still believing
Still holding on tight

[Chorus - 2:40]
They tried to break me
But I'm still standing
Every storm I've weathered
Made my roots grow deeper
They tried to take me
But I'm still standing

[Bridge - 3:05]
(Building to rock anthem)
This one's for everyone
Who thought about giving up
Who held on one more night
When one more night was too much
YOU'RE STILL HERE
That means you won
You're still standing
Your fight's not done!

[Final Chorus - 3:25]
(Full band, triumphant)
THEY TRIED TO BREAK US
BUT WE'RE STILL STANDING!
Every survivor still breathing
Is proof that we're undefeated!
WE'RE STILL STANDING!
Still standing!
Still... standing.

[Outro - 3:40]
(Quiet piano returns)
Still here. Still standing.

[Intro - 0:00]
(Gentle acoustic guitar, intimate)
Hey little one... I need to tell you something...

[Verse 1 - 0:15]
Dear little me at seven years old
Hiding in the closet when the yelling got too loud
I know you think this is your fault
I know you're scared and you feel small
But what they're doing has nothing to do with you
You're not broken, they just didn't know what to do

[Verse 2 - 0:50]
Dear little me at twelve years old
Wondering why you feel so alone
I know the other kids are cruel
I know you feel like such a fool
But different isn't wrong, it's a gift
And one day soon your whole life will shift

[Pre-Chorus - 1:20]
If I could reach back through time
Take your hand in mine
I'd tell you...

[Chorus - 1:35]
(Orchestra swells)
Dear little me
Everything you fear will set you free
Every wound will become your strength
Every mile of pain will match the length
Of the love you'll learn to give
Dear little me
You're gonna live
You're gonna LIVE

[Verse 3 - 2:15]
Dear little me at sixteen years old
When the darkness felt so cold
I know you thought about giving up
I know you thought you'd had enough
But I'm writing this from the other side
Where all that pain became your guide

[Verse 4 - 2:50]
You'll build things you can't imagine now
Help people find their way somehow
Every tear you cried waters seeds
For gardens that will meet others' needs
The story isn't what you think
You're not at the end, you're on the brink

[Chorus - 3:20]
(Full orchestra)
Dear little me
Everything you fear will set you free
Every wound will become your strength
Every mile of pain will match the length
Of the love you'll learn to give
Dear little me
You're gonna live
YOU'RE GONNA LIVE!

[Bridge - 3:50]
(Spoken, emotional)
And if you're listening
And you're young
And you're scared
And you think no one understands...
Someone does.
I do.
Hold on.
Your future self is waiting.
And they're so proud of you.

[Outro - 4:05]
(Soft, guitar returns)
Dear little me...
Thank you for surviving...
Thank you for becoming me.