TORN HEART

TORN HEART [Intro — rising piano, intense and melancholic] I know that I must go, But I'm afraid to stay. If I stay, life may pass me by, If I leave, I'll lose my way. Between the woman I was And the woman I'm yet to be, Between all that I leave behind And all that waits for me... I know the day will come When I must say goodbye. But who can teach my heart Not to fear the other side? I'm afraid to leave... But even more afraid to stay. [Chorus — building, powerful and emotional] I long to leave, yet fear the leaving, I long to stay, yet fear I'll lose my way. I'm torn between the peace I've always known And all the life that lies beyond today. My heart can't tell me what to do, One side says yes, the other says no. I'm so afraid of losing what I have That I may lose the life I need to know. [Verse 2 — piano and rising strings] Is it the truth that reason asks of me, Or just the fear that holds me back? Perhaps the time has come to leave, Yet something here still calls me back. Perhaps to leave is my destiny, Perhaps to stay is my duty. It isn't fear that makes me stay, But love, perhaps, and loyalty. The weight of my responsibility, The promise I cannot betray, The quiet voice of conscience That whispers, “Someone needs you to stay.” [Bridge — soft piano, cello and intimate vocals] If I leave, what will I leave behind? If I stay, what will I leave undone? When duty calls against the heart, How can I know which path is right? There's a life beyond these walls, And lives still waiting here. I won't say goodbye just yet; There's still so much love to give. [Climax — sweeping strings, passionate and emotional vocals] And when that day arrives, I know it surely will, There will be no more questions, No fear to haunt me still. I'll leave with no regrets, No bitterness to bear, No dreams abandoned on the road, No fear of what lies there. I won't carry sorrow with me, Nor long for those I leave behind. I'll carry the peace of a life That loved all it could find. [Final Chorus — grand orchestration, gradually softening] Today I'll stay; tomorrow I'll go, When or where, I may never know. Not out of fear, nor obligation, But listening to my heart's own revelation. And when the road calls out to me, I won't look back at what has been. I'll know I lived the life I could, And leave this world in peace within. [Outro — solo piano, almost whispered vocals] I'll stay... while this is home, While this is where I belong. I'll leave... when the time has come, When life calls me to move on. And when that day arrives, There'll be nothing left to fear. For it's not enough to learn to leave... We must learn why we stay here. If nothing in you ever changes, Nothing new can come to be. For wanting life is not enough... You must become who you were meant to be.