Confined with no space to speak
Build up the skin to hide what composes me
I see the path but my soles are worn and filled with mud!
The needle threads
An image of beasts marching in heroic certainty

I am the tiger
A gem among a world of stone
I won’t be mastered by what holds me down
My quiet hands shuffling undetected, searching for relief
Where is my affirmation to make more of this
To live a life worthwhile

I am the tiger
A gem among a world of stone
I won’t be mastered by what holds me down
What holds me down

I am the tiger (among a world of stone)
I am the tiger (among a world of stone)
I am the tiger (among a world)
My hands pushed under the weight of my mistakes and doubts
Dreams and hopes pushed aside
I can’t live a life for someone else
​
My life comes first
My life comes first
I am a gem among a world of stone
I am the beast on the tapestry
I am the courage that the needle sews
My life comes first
My life comes first

Put fear aside (don’t look back)
The relief from pressure set me free
Hold my head high
I won’t let this shift sway me
Hold strong

I can create the life I underestimated for so long
For me to write the lines
I now see the world that lies ahead
The world that lies ahead for me

I am the gem
I am the tiger
I am the courage
My life comes first

I am the gem
I am the tiger
I am the courage
My life comes first
My life comes first!