What We Left Behind

We light the candles, sing the song
Another year, another right to feel strong
But every wish we blow away
Is a piece of youth we let decay

We drink to the future every New Year's Eve
Like we're not scared of what we'll leave
But the mirror don't lie, and neither do scars
We celebrate stars, not how close they are

We chase versions of who we could be
But forget the best of who we were
We wear change like a crown on fire
Never asking if it hurts

We count the candles, not the days
We praise the growth, not the graves
We want the new like it's a prize
But lose the spark we had inside

Every year we say: This time I'll shine
But never mourn what we left behind
Photos fade, but we keep the frame
Pretend the past was just a game

We delete old selves like files and names
But ghosts still walk through all that's changed
We raise a glass to what comes next
As if the past was just a test

We're always becoming, never being
And wonder why we're always bleeding
We chase versions of who we could be
Like upgrades mean we're whole

But you can't build peace on silence
And you can't fake growing old

We count the candles, not the days
We praise the growth, not the graves
We want the new like it's a prize
But lose the spark we had inside

Every year we say: This time I'll shine
But never mourn what we left behind

What if the best of me was seventeen
What if I peaked before I dreamed
Why do we move like time's a cure
When it just buries us deeper than before

We forget the songs that saved our youth
We bury the pain with half-truths
We run toward change like it's the end
But lose the child we swore we'd defend

We count the candles, not the days
We praise the growth, not the graves
We smile for the brand new year
But mourn the soul that disappeared

Every time we change, we leave some light
We are the ghosts of what we left behind
No one tells you when it's the last time
You were truly yourself, before the climb