I Was Hurt By Love

[Intro]
Yeah...
I thought being tough meant feeling nothing
I was wrong

[Verse 1]
I never meant to cut you, I was bleeding too
You brought your whole heart, I kept mine from you
Had a good woman standing right beside my door
But I was fighting battles I had never told you for

You made a home from the little I could give
I wore my pride like armor, forgot how to live
You asked me for the truth, I answered with a wall
Then acted surprised when I watched us fall

[Pre-Chorus]
You held me close when my pockets were bare
You saw something worth saving when I saw nothing there
Now every quiet room has your name in the air
And I finally understand why you couldn't stay there

[Chorus]
I was hurt by love, so I made love hurt you
Took the safest heart and put it through what I went through
You gave me your patience, I gave you my pain
Now I'm counting every blessing I drove away
The one I wounded deepest was the one who stayed
When I had no proof that I could be saved
I was hurt by love, but that ain't an excuse
I lost the best part of me trying not to lose

[Verse 2]
I remember your coat hanging by the kitchen chair
Your coffee going cold while you waited there
You said, “Talk to me,” I said, “I'm fine”
Another small goodbye disguised as a normal night

I made you pay for a debt you never owed
Turned every open hand into a roadblock in the road
You loved me in the seasons I was hard to recognize
I answered all that mercy with a thousand little lies

[Pre-Chorus]
You held me close when my pockets were bare
You saw something worth saving when I saw nothing there
Now the truth sits heavy, but at least it is true
I wasn't scared of losing love—I was scared of being known by you

[Chorus]
I was hurt by love, so I made love hurt you
Took the safest heart and put it through what I went through
You gave me your patience, I gave you my pain
Now I'm counting every blessing I drove away
The one I wounded deepest was the one who stayed
When I had no proof that I could be saved
I was hurt by love, but that ain't an excuse
I lost the best part of me trying not to lose

[Bridge]
If you ever hear this, I don't need you to return
I just hope the truth can reach you where the silence burned
You deserved a man who could receive what you gave
I'm learning how to love myself without making someone pay

[Final Chorus]
I was hurt by love, but I won't pass it on
I'll carry what I did until the guilt is gone
You gave me your patience, I gave you my pain
Now I pray your next sunrise doesn't know my name
The one I wounded deepest was the one who stayed
When I had no proof that I could be saved
I was hurt by love, and now I see the truth
Healing doesn't give me back what I put you through

[Outro]
Yeah...
I hope you find the peace I couldn't give you
And I hope I become someone who never does that again

Introspective melodic hip-hop and contemporary R&B, slow half-time groove, warm piano chords, restrained sub-bass, sparse dusty drums, occasional muted guitar accents, intimate male sing-rap verses, vulnerable sustained chorus, close dry vocal in verses opening into wider harmonies, gradual arrangement lift, polished but emotionally raw mix