Lyrics

Verse 1
I thought the worst part was losing you
But losing me was worse
I kept defending what you damaged
While carrying all the hurt
You would leave, then call me crying
Like regret erased the cost
And I mistook your need for comfort
For the love I thought we lost
I kept opening the doorway
Every time you spoke my name
But returning to the person
Never changed the source of pain
Chorus
After the crying
After the sleepless nights
After I stopped making excuses
For what never treated me right
There was a woman
Still breathing underneath
And what came after losing you
Was finding what was left of me
What came after
Was stronger than the pain
I learned a broken heart can heal
Without loving you again
Verse 2
I remember how you held me
When you felt me pulling back
You became the man I needed
Just long enough to keep me trapped
Then the tenderness went missing
Once you knew that I would stay
You gave effort as an emergency
Never as a daily way
I don’t hate you for your weakness
I just cannot live inside it
A promise spoken beautifully
Still fails if life denies it
Chorus
After the crying
After the sleepless nights
After I stopped making excuses
For what never treated me right
There was a woman
Still breathing underneath
And what came after losing you
Was finding what was left of me
What came after
Was stronger than the pain
I learned a broken heart can heal
Without loving you again
Bridge — Gospel Responses
Lead: I thought forgiveness meant returning
Background: No, it doesn’t
Lead: I thought love meant I should wait
Background: You waited long enough
Lead: I thought leaving made me heartless
Background: You were saving what remained
Lead: Now I know that choosing peace
Does not erase the love I gave
I can honor every memory
Without reopening the door
And I can wish you well from somewhere
You cannot reach me anymore
Final Chorus
After the crying
After the final goodbye
After I stopped asking heaven
To make your wrongs become right
There stood a woman
No longer on her knees
And what came after losing you
Was everything I needed me to be
What came after
Was wisdom with my name
I learned the heart survives the hurt
When it refuses more of the same
Outro — Restrained Ad-libs
I survived you, baby
But I did not come out empty
I came out knowing
What love should never cost
The pain was not my ending
It was the last thing
I had to walk through
Before I found myself