The Light That Forgot Its Name

• The ideaEvery song begins with me: a story from my life, a belief I hold, or a feeling I want to put into the world.
• The wordsSome lyrics I write myself. Most I shape together with Claude, an AI made by Anthropic, working from my own life, words and worldview. I keep only what feels true to me.
• The musicThe music and vocals are generated with Songer, an AI music tool. I choose each song's sound, listen through the takes, and keep the ones that move me.
• The albumI choose the order, the title and the artwork, and I shape the finished sound with Mixea mastering.
• On every platformEach song is labeled as AI-generated when it's distributed, so Spotify, Apple Music and other services can show you too.

I'm neurodivergent, and AI gave me something I'd never had: a place to hold all my threads at once. These songs are what came out when I finally could.

Album · 9 songs · 43 min

Born This Bright

Out November 3, 2026 Weise Music Pre-save

The first Weise album is about consciousness choosing to take form so it could feel, love, and know itself. It opens with a letter I wrote to myself, rises through the joy of arriving, turns inward through choice and grief and love, and ends on the dance floor. The cover is a leap into Stanley Lake in Idaho.

1. 01

   The Universe

   Spiritual folk anthem · 4:13

   These are the one set of lyrics on the album I wrote entirely by myself, as a letter to anyone who needs reminding, me first of all. The sense of worthiness is fleeting, but the truth abounds: we are the universe observing itself. Everything else on Born This Bright grows out of this song, so it opens the album.

   Lyrics

   The music of the soul is singing
   Loud and clearly

   Love is everywhere and in everything
   Even pain and suffering
   Love abides
   The sense of worthiness is fleeting
   But the truth abounds

   We are worthy
   We are lovable
   We are love
   Remember we are the universe observing itself
   We are one

   When the shadow needs to be heard
   Listen and love
   The light of love can shine through any darkness
   The nature of life is temporary
   Love and accept yourself wherever you are
   There is no need to fear

   This body grows and changes and eventually dies
   But the essence of you is part of something much bigger
   You've been there before, you'll be there again

   Do not fear, you are worthy
   You are loved
   You are love
   Remember we are the universe observing itself
   We are one

   The earth is a strange world
   So much beauty, so much love
   But also a world in contrast
   You will be challenged
   You will learn limits
   You will be humbled
   But don't be afraid

   Your shadow will always be a presence
   Make space for it, love it, accept it
   Build a relationship with it
   You are eternal
   You are more powerful than you know

   You are love
   You are light
   Let your heart guide you
   You are the universe observing itself
   Manifesting itself
   Make it beautiful

   Remember the truth of this moment
   In all the coming moments

2. 02

   Born This Bright

   2000s dance-pop · 4:07

   My pride anthem. It's for the kid hiding in the shadows who was told he was wrong, and who finally walked through the door. It's for chosen families, for everyone who paved the way, and for every room where we finally feel at home. They tried to dim the light, but the light was always mine.

   Lyrics

   Here we go, a night ignites, under the stars, we own the night.

   Once a kid, hidden in shadows, whispers tried to break my soul.
   Told I was wrong, but oh, I was brave, every step became my goal.
   Hiding from the world, but now I see, the colors burst and they’re all me.
   Finally walked through the door, heart racing, feeling free.

   They tried to dim the light, but the light was always mine,
   Glittered dreams are shining through, rising like the sun's design.

   I was born this bright on purpose, made of stars and made to shine,
   I'm the universe in glitter, and I'm dancing for my life.
   Raise your hands, feel the vibe, together we ignite,
   Love wins in every heartbeat, rainbow fires burning bright.

   All the nights I waded through, every tear I had to fight,
   Now I’m here with my tribe, love’s our anthem, hearts in flight.
   Celebrating every story, every truth that found its way,
   In this room, I feel at home, in the colors we will stay.

   They tried to dim the light, but the light was always mine,
   Glittered dreams are shining through, rising like the sun's design.

   I was born this bright on purpose, made of stars and made to shine,
   I'm the universe in glitter, and I'm dancing for my life.
   Raise your hands, feel the vibe, together we ignite,
   Love wins in every heartbeat, rainbow fires burning bright.

   For all the ones who paved the way, hearts that beat with pride,
   Families chosen, souls entwined, love’s embrace, our guide.
   Bound by courage, wrapped in light, through the dark we found our song,
   Holding each other close tonight, together where we belong.

   I was born this bright on purpose, made of stars and made to shine,
   I'm the universe in glitter, and I'm dancing for my life.
   Raise your hands, feel the vibe, together we ignite,
   Love wins in every heartbeat, rainbow fires burning bright.

   Here we stand, in fierce delight, we are love, we are light,
   With every shout, we claim our right, dancing till the moon takes flight.

   I was born this bright on purpose, made of stars and made to shine,
   I'm the universe in glitter, and I'm dancing for my life.

3. 03

   Awakening Being

   Melodic progressive house · 5:56

   Before the first heartbeat, I believe we watch the lives that could be and choose one: this body, these parents, this path. I've carried that memory since I was a child. This song is the moment of arrival, the universe condensing into skin, set to the euphoria I imagine it feels like.

   Lyrics

   In the silence of the cosmos, I float, I breathe,
   A whisper of existence, the light that weaves,

   Before the first heartbeat, I was boundless, free,
   Watching lives unfold, all the souls that could be,
   This body, these parents, the choices of heart,
   I chose this path, this dance, this art.

   A spark ignites, the warmth of skin,
   The ache of existence, the joy within,
   In forgetting lies the gift so sweet,
   To feel each moment, heartbeat by heartbeat.

   I chose this, I feel through my skin,
   Love is the reason I let it begin,
   The universe condensed into this, into me,
   As stardust ignites, setting my spirit free.

   In the night’s embrace, I feel you so near,
   Fingers brushing, the warmth we hold dear,
   Each inhale, each exhale, oh the bliss and the ache,
   Mortal and separate, the bonds that we make.

   In this flesh, wrapped in soul’s cocoon,
   The depths of remembering, a sweet afternoon,
   To love in this life, to laugh and to cry,
   The bittersweet beauty in saying goodbye.

   I chose this, I feel through my skin,
   Love is the reason I let it begin,
   The universe condensed into this, into me,
   As stardust ignites, setting my spirit free.

   In the stillness, I recognize your face,
   A soul I’ve known through the echoes of space,
   A heartbeat shared in the silence divine,
   Together we dance, across the sands of time.

   As the galaxy explodes, igniting the night,
   Our spirits entwined, in this glorious flight,
   In the dawn of our moments, in light’s tender kiss,
   Every breath, every heartbeat, is pure nothingness.

   I chose this, I feel through my skin,
   Love is the reason I let it begin,
   The universe condensed into this, into me,
   As stardust ignites, setting my spirit free.

   In the heart of the cosmos, we weave and we mend,
   With every soft breath, we begin and transcend,
   In the light of existence, I find my way home,
   In the warmth of the moment, I am never alone.

4. 04

   Chosen to Feel

   Indie folk-pop · 3:58

   This is my own road. A kid in Ohio staring at the stars, told he was strange, who left home with a suitcase of dreams and found an island where he learned to let go. Every ache along the way was something I chose to feel, the mess and the grace both.

   Lyrics

   Late night talks with a glass of doubt, wondering what it means to fade out

   In Ohio, I stared at the stars, painted happiness in backyard jars
   A kid who swore he'd drawn his path, chalked up dreams with a hint of wrath
   They said I was strange, but I felt so alive, believing in choices, where imagination thrives

   Oh, the weight of moments, lost in the spin, choices forgotten, where do I begin?

   I chose this body, I chose this ache, I chose to forget so I'd feel every break
   I chose to wander through shadows and light, chasing the echoes in the depth of the night
   Here we are screaming, let the world know, we chose this journey wherever it goes

   Left home with a suitcase of dreams, found an island where the silence screams
   Days melt into nights in the salty air, the weight of the past, but who’s keeping score? It’s fair
   With every wave crashing, I learned to let go, that being lost had its own kind of glow

   Oh, the path I’ve wandered, the roads I took, each turn in the story, a worn-out book

   I chose this body, I chose this ache, I chose to forget so I'd feel every break
   I chose to wander through shadows and light, chasing the echoes in the depth of the night
   Here we are screaming, let the world know, we chose this journey wherever it goes

   From whispers of fear, to stomping release, the magic of moments, a sweet sense of peace
   We rise as a chorus, voices combined, in the space between heartbreak, we find what’s aligned

   Infinite light came down just to know, what love feels like, and all we can sow
   So here’s to the choices, the mess and the grace, in this beautiful chaos, we all find our place
   We chose this moment, we chose to be real, in the dusk of our being, we learn how to heal

5. 05

   Whispers of Existence

   Ambient downtempo · 5:27

   The quietest song on the album, made for stillness: meditation, ceremony, the moments when the edges get thin. It holds grief and gratitude together and asks only one thing of you. Breathe into the vastness, and remember that you chose to be here.

   Lyrics

   In the hush of being, we find our way

   You were the light before the body
   Whispers float like petals, soft and free
   You chose this skin, this breath, this life
   In every heartbeat, love's gentle decree

   I remember, I remember, I chose to be here
   Floating like a feather, surrendering to the clear
   Breathe in the vastness, let the edges go
   In the circle of existence, let the awareness flow

   Every moment cradles the essence of grace
   Grief and tenderness woven in a vast embrace
   Honoring the loss, the warmth of love unfolds
   Every echo of memory, every story told

   I remember, I remember, I chose to be here
   Floating like a feather, surrendering to the clear
   Breathe in the vastness, let the edges go
   In the circle of existence, let the awareness flow

   Let go of the boundary, thin as a sigh
   In the gentle pull of eternity, we learn to fly
   Awareness wraps you, familiar and kind
   In the dance of existence, all is intertwined

   Gratitude for the body, the earth beneath our feet
   Across lifetimes, love and loss converge, bittersweet
   Each thread of connection, a tapestry divine
   In this sacred journey, we remember the sign

   I remember, I remember, I chose to be here
   Floating like a feather, surrendering to the clear
   Breathe in the vastness, let the edges go
   In the circle of existence, let the awareness flow

   In the gentle whisper of existence, we find our home
   Together in the stillness, no need to roam
   Wrapped in the embrace of something vast and kind
   In the depth of awareness, true peace we will find

6. 06

   Break Me Open

   Stripped piano ballad · 4:44

   This one came out of a year of loss. The kitchen light still on, a coat by the door, a voice that's now a distant melody. I believe grief is proof that this life worked: a consciousness that could lose and feel nothing would mean the whole thing failed. If this is how the stars learn what love is, then let it break me open.

   Lyrics

   A quiet night, the clock ticks slow, shadows dance against the wall

   The kitchen light's still on, your coat hangs by the door
   I catch your scent in empty rooms, echoes remind me more
   Memories linger like the warmth of coffee in late cups

   Your voice a distant melody, as silence wraps me up

   Has the universe come here to know itself in tears?
   Each heartbeat carries whispers of the love that held us near

   If this is how the stars learn what love is, then let it break me, let it break me open
   Through every ache, through every scar, it’s the proof I was here, I loved, I loved

   I see you there, your laughter painted bright against the gloom
   Yet every time I touch the light, I feel the weight of room
   Moments cherished hold the warmth of hands I cannot touch
   The ache is real, the cost of love, it teaches me so much

   Has the universe come here to learn through all the pain?
   Every tear a lesson drawn, a beauty grown from strain

   If this is how the stars learn what love is, then let it break me, let it break me open
   Through every ache, through every scar, it’s the proof I was here, I loved, I loved

   Hold still, the whispers in the dark, the sighs that leave unspoken
   Each heartbeat feels like lightning, every word a crack unbroken
   I surrender to this moment, let the ache become a song
   As gratitude swells within me, it’s here where I belong

   Let the stars guide my heart, let the silence cradle me
   In the aftermath of longing, I find peace in what we’ve been
   Quiet breaths, silent tears, as I let the story go
   In the gentle sigh of closure, love's echo starts to flow

7. 07

   Reflections in the Night

   Intimate indie folk · 4:57

   The night I met my partner, at a birthday gathering in Puna on the Big Island, I knew. It felt like recognition more than meeting, as if we were one light before we chose to be two. This song follows us from that night to the farm we built together.

   Lyrics

   In Puna’s warm night air, the stars begin to play,
   Strangers dance in circles, their laughter floats away.

   The music sways like palm fronds in the gentle breeze,
   A birthday gathering, each heart at ease.
   The scent of salt and jasmine, it mingles in the light,
   Then there you are, a spark against the endless night.

   Time slows, the world fades, just a glimpse and then I know,
   In that fleeting moment, I saw the truth unfold.

   Oh, we were one light before we chose to be,
   Splitting into two, for this universe to see.
   Every time I look at you, existence finds its way,
   A little more awakened, in love’s embrace we sway.

   We wandered through the fields, just two souls in the night,
   Treading softly on the land, under the soft moonlight.
   Conversations flowing like waves upon the shore,
   In your eyes, reflections of all I was before.

   Moments stitched together, each breath a masterpiece,
   In every little silence, there’s a sweet release.

   Oh, we were one light before we chose to be,
   Splitting into two, for this universe to see.
   Every time I look at you, existence finds its way,
   A little more awakened, in love’s embrace we sway.

   We built a life together, on this warm, sacred ground,
   The farm beneath our fingertips, where love is all around.
   Ordinary days transformed into something divine,
   In the quiet of the morning, your hand resting in mine.

   Oh, we were one light before we chose to be,
   Splitting into two, for this universe to see.
   Every time I look at you, existence finds its way,
   A little more awakened, in love’s embrace we sway.

   So here’s my heart, with gratitude and grace,
   In the warmth of our togetherness, I see my true face.
   In every tender moment, under starlit skies above,
   I’m forever thankful for this splendor of our love.

8. 08

   We Belong Here

   Cinematic pop anthem · 5:07

   A song for whoever needs it tonight: the night-shift worker, the grieving parent, the kid who feels lost in the crowd. You are the light looking back at itself. You were never a mistake, and you were never alone. You belong here.

   Lyrics

   In a world of shadows, we search for the light
   Every heartbeat whispers, we are made for this night

   To the night shift worker, you rise when it’s dark
   Your dreams are like constellations, waiting to spark
   Each hour a reminder, you’re not just a face
   In the rhythm of life, you are woven with grace

   Hold on, dear friend, you're not meant to fade
   Inside every struggle, love and hope cascade

   You are the light looking back at itself
   You belong here, you were never alone
   Every star in your eyes is a story to tell
   Reach out your hand; you’re never on your own

   To the grieving parent, tear-streaked and worn
   Your love is a universe, sorrow reborn
   In the silence of loss, may your heart find its song
   Within every heartbeat, your love lingers on

   You’re a part of the tapestry, rich and alive
   In every moment, together we thrive

   You are the light looking back at itself
   You belong here, you were never alone
   Every star in your eyes is a story to tell
   Reach out your hand; you’re never on your own

   To the kid feeling lost, unseen in the crowd
   Your voice is a beacon, let it sing out loud
   Each fear that you carry, like a feather, can fly
   You are woven of stardust, a heart full of sky

   Listen closely, you are never a mistake
   In the vastness of being, every dream you make

   We’re all in this journey, hand in hand we’ll rise
   Each story, each struggle, under these endless skies

   You are the light looking back at itself
   You belong here, you were never alone
   Every star in your eyes is a story to tell
   Reach out your hand; you’re never on your own

   In this joyful release, we gather and sing
   For in every heart, hope and love take wing
   Remember, dear friend, we’re all in this song
   You are the light, together we belong

   And in love, we find the whole universe smiles
   As stardust and hearts walk together for miles

9. 09

   Radiant As One

   Uplifting EDM pop · 4:27

   After the whole journey, the album ends on the dance floor. This is a celebration of acceptance: walls falling, flaws worn as beauty, everyone lifting everyone higher. We came here to feel, and this is what it feels like together.

   Lyrics

   Feel the pulse, we’re alive tonight, ready to embrace the light

   We rise up from the shadows, breaking every wall
   Every doubt we had before, watch them fall
   With every heartbeat echoing, we unite as one
   In the rhythm of acceptance, we have just begun

   Lifting each other higher, no more holding back
   In the spectrum of our colors, together we attack
   Feel the love like a wave, crashing over us all
   We're shining in the dark; we will never fall

   Celebrate the love, ignite the fire within
   This is our anthem, let the journey begin
   We are radiant, we are wild, we are free
   In this moment of acceptance, just you and me

   Take my hand, let’s dive into the unknown
   With every note vibrating, we find our home
   Casting aside the fears that held us down
   In this wild celebration, we wear the crown

   Awakening, embracing, the beauty in our flaws
   In the tapestry of life, love is the only cause
   We’ll paint the skies with colors, vivid and alive
   In this ocean of acceptance, we will thrive

   Celebrate the love, ignite the fire within
   This is our anthem, let the journey begin
   We are radiant, we are wild, we are free
   In this moment of acceptance, just you and me

   Each heartbeat in the night, a rhythm of our souls
   Together we are powerful, breaking all the molds
   With every step we take, we redefine the norm
   In this energy we harness, we’ll transform

   In this radiant togetherness, we'll forever shine
   Acceptance is our anthem, love is the design
   With every breath we take, let the music play on
   We're forever radical, together we belong

Album · 9 songs · 31 min

The Light That Forgot Its Name

Out November 20, 2026 Weise Music Pre-save

The arc moves from source choosing to forget, through the exile and what got buried, into the fire, the fake light, the return for the younger self, and the reckoning, until every shadow is welcomed home. The first and last songs share a line, so the album closes the circle.

1. 01

   Before I Forgot

   Ambient cinematic · 3:43

   This is where the album begins: before the body. For as long as I could form a thought, I've known that I chose this life. A light with nothing in it can't know that it's bright, so the first song is source choosing to forget itself, folding into breath and bone on a winter morning in Ohio, so the finding could mean something. Every shadow we carry is the shape of where we stood in the light.

   Lyrics

   Before there was a body, there was only light...

   I was everything at once, no edge and no name,
   Every color in the dark, every spark the same,
   But a light with nothing in it cannot know that it is bright,
   So I asked to be a someone, I asked to have a night.

   Give me a face, give me a door,
   Give me a thing worth reaching for.

   To stand in the sun, I had to cast a shade,
   To learn what I am, I had to be afraid,
   Every shadow I would carry is the shape of where I stood,
   I forgot so I could find it, and the finding made it good.

   So I folded into breath, into bone, into skin,
   Ohio winter morning, I let the world begin,
   And I knew it like a secret while the knowing still was new,
   I would have to lose the light to see what light could do.

   To stand in the sun, I had to cast a shade,
   To learn what I am, I had to be afraid,
   Every shadow I would carry is the shape of where I stood,
   I forgot so I could find it, and the finding made it good.

   Don't be scared of the dark that follows you,
   It only means you're standing in the light.

   Before I forgot...
   I remembered you.

2. 02

   The Door at Nineteen

   Anthemic indie folk · 2:49

   At nineteen I was cast out of a church I had brought my whole family into. For years I mistook that door for heaven's door, and I paid the shame they handed me like a debt. This song is me closing it. Not in anger. I finally understood that I was never on the outside, and that the light was in the exile all along.

   Lyrics

   They had a word for what I was, and they said it soft and low,
   I brought my family through their doors, then they told me I should go,
   Nineteen with a borrowed Bible and a name I couldn't say,
   I believed the God they sold me when they sent the boy away.

   And I swallowed every word like it was holy bread,
   Put the shame where the light was, let it grow there instead.

   But the door at nineteen wasn't heaven's door,
   It was only men afraid of what love was for,
   I spent years outside a church that I mistook for God,
   When the God I was looking for was everywhere I'd walked.

   So I built a wall of "fine," I got good at being small,
   Learned to read a room for danger, learned to never need at all,
   And the shadow that they gave me, I kept it like a debt,
   Paid it every time I flinched, and I'm not finished paying yet.

   And I swallowed every word like it was holy bread,
   Put the shame where the light was, let it grow there instead.

   But the door at nineteen wasn't heaven's door,
   It was only men afraid of what love was for,
   I spent years outside a church that I mistook for God,
   When the God I was looking for was everywhere I'd walked.

   I was not the thing they named, I was not the sin,
   I was source in a boy's body, learning how to let love in.

   And the door at nineteen, I can close it now,
   Not in anger, not in hate, I just finally know how,
   I was never on the outside, I was never cast out,
   The light was in the exile, that's what this was about.

3. 03

   What I Buried

   Dark alternative pop · 3:08

   Shadow work starts with the parts we hide: the wanting, the jealousy, the need, the little boy who got it wrong. I buried them and called it peace. Then I noticed that everyone who annoyed me was holding up a mirror. This song is about kneeling back down in that garden and calling those parts by name, because none of them were ever to blame.

   Lyrics

   There's a garden underneath the one I show you,
   Where I planted every part I didn't want,
   The wanting and the jealous and the needy,
   The little boy who cried and got it wrong.

   I watered them with silence every night,
   I thought if they stayed buried, I'd be light.

   But what I buried isn't dead, it's just asleep,
   Every seed I hid away has roots that run so deep,
   They keep breaking through the floor, they keep calling me by name,
   What I buried was the part of me that never was to blame.

   Every time I judged somebody for their hunger,
   I was looking at my garden in disguise,
   Every person who annoyed me was a mirror,
   Holding up the parts I'd hidden from my eyes.

   I watered them with silence every night,
   I thought if they stayed buried, I'd be light.

   But what I buried isn't dead, it's just asleep,
   Every seed I hid away has roots that run so deep,
   They keep breaking through the floor, they keep calling me by name,
   What I buried was the part of me that never was to blame.

   Dig it up, dig it up, bring it to the sun,
   Nothing that I buried was a wrong I'd done,
   Dig it up, dig it up, hold it to the light,
   Even what I hid from is part of the light.

   What I buried isn't dead, it's just asleep,
   Every seed I hid away has roots that run so deep,
   Now I'm kneeling in the garden and I'm calling them by name,
   What I buried was the part of me that never was to blame.

4. 04

   Rage Is a Prayer

   Cinematic tribal anthem · 3:05

   So many of us are taught to swallow anger and smile at the people who hurt us. But anger that's honest and clean is the soul saying no to what never should have been. Not the kind that breaks things. The kind that draws a line and keeps the young one warm. This is rage reclaimed as something sacred.

   Lyrics

   I was taught to keep it quiet, taught to turn the other cheek,
   Taught that anger was the devil and a good man should be meek,
   So I swallowed every fire till it burned me from inside,
   Smiled at everyone who hurt me, and I called the burning pride.

   But rage is a prayer when it's honest and clean,
   It's the soul saying no to what never should have been,
   It's the light standing up when it's been knocked to the ground,
   Rage is a prayer, so let it make a sound.

   Not the kind that breaks a body, not the kind that burns a home,
   But the kind that draws a line and says this boundary is my own,
   I can hold it in my two hands like a lantern in the storm,
   Let it show me what I value, let it keep the young one warm.

   But rage is a prayer when it's honest and clean,
   It's the soul saying no to what never should have been,
   It's the light standing up when it's been knocked to the ground,
   Rage is a prayer, so let it make a sound.

   Scream it to the mountain, let it echo off the stone,
   Then sit down with the fire till the fire's not alone.

   Rage is a prayer when it's honest and clean,
   It's the soul saying no to what never should have been,
   It's the light standing up when it's been knocked to the ground,
   Rage is a prayer, so let it make a sound.

   Let it make a sound,
   Let it make a sound.

5. 05

   Counterfeit Light

   1980s new wave synth-pop · 3:39

   There's a kind of spirituality that skips every shadow: good vibes only, everything's divine. It can even turn a beautiful idea into a weapon, telling someone in pain, "well, you chose this." A broken heart on a Tuesday doesn't need a cosmic plan. It needs a hand. My test now is simple: if it makes your heart wider, let it in. If it makes you smaller, it's fear wearing light's clothes.

   Lyrics

   I wore a smile like a uniform, said "everything's divine,"
   Posted sunsets with a caption, said "the universe is fine,"
   Every time the sorrow knocked, I lit another candle,
   Called it peace, called it presence, called it more than I could handle.

   "Good vibes only," what a lonely way to be,
   Locking out the parts of me that needed me.

   Counterfeit light, it shines but it don't warm,
   A rainbow painted on the outside of the storm,
   I was skipping every shadow so I'd never have to fight,
   But love that leaves out darkness is a counterfeit light.

   And I told the hurting people, "well, you chose this, didn't you?"
   Like a soul's eternal bargain was a thing to throw at you,
   But a broken heart on Tuesday doesn't need a cosmic plan,
   It needs somebody sitting there and holding out a hand.

   "Good vibes only," what a lonely way to be,
   Locking out the parts of me that needed me.

   Counterfeit light, it shines but it don't warm,
   A rainbow painted on the outside of the storm,
   I was skipping every shadow so I'd never have to fight,
   But love that leaves out darkness is a counterfeit light.

   Real light doesn't argue with the night,
   It doesn't need the shadows out of sight,
   If it makes your heart wider, let it in,
   If it makes you smaller, it's the fear again.

   Counterfeit light, it shines but it don't warm,
   A rainbow painted on the outside of the storm,
   Now I'm letting in the shadows and I'm holding them tight,
   'Cause love that leaves out darkness is a counterfeit light.

6. 06

   I Came Back for You

   Intimate piano ballad · 3:34

   Much of my healing has been learning to parent my younger self. There's a boy on a Reynoldsburg street, holding every secret, waiting for someone grown to tell him what he needed to hear. Nobody else was coming, so I went back for him. He was holy at nine and at nineteen the same, and I won't leave him again.

   Lyrics

   There's a boy on a Reynoldsburg street with his hands in his pockets,
   Holding every secret that he's too afraid to show,
   He's been waiting all these years at the edge of my remembering,
   For someone grown to tell him what he always needed to know.

   I came back for you, I came back for you,
   Nobody else was coming, so I had to be the one,
   I'm the father you were praying for, the mother and the friend,
   I came back for you, and I won't leave again.

   I know they told you you were broken, and I know you believed them,
   I know you tried to pray the truest parts of you away,
   But I've seen where we are going, there's a farm and there's an ocean,
   And a life that's built on everything they made you hide away.

   I came back for you, I came back for you,
   Nobody else was coming, so I had to be the one,
   I'm the father you were praying for, the mother and the friend,
   I came back for you, and I won't leave again.

   You don't have to earn it, you don't have to change,
   You were holy at nine and at nineteen the same,
   Come here, little one, put your head on my chest,
   You can put it all down now, you can finally rest.

   I came back for you, I came back for you,
   Nobody else was coming, so I had to be the one,
   I'm the father you were praying for, the mother and the friend,
   I came back for you, and I won't leave again.

   I came back for you.

7. 07

   The Life Review

   Cinematic orchestral ballad · 3:55

   I believe the judgment the faiths describe might be the life review people report at death: feeling every ripple you made, from the other side. Not a throne or a ledger. Just the truth, shown gently. So I want to meet my shadow now, while I still have hands to make amends and breath to say the love out loud.

   Lyrics

   When the body lets me go and the light comes rolling in,
   I will watch it all again, every place that I have been,
   Not a judge upon a throne, not a ledger, not a flame,
   Just the whole of it returning, and I'll feel it all the same.

   Every word I said in anger, every hand I didn't hold,
   Every kindness that I gave away and never told.

   And I'll feel it from the other side, every ripple that I made,
   All the light I gave away and all the dark I laid,
   It won't punish, it won't shame me, it will simply show me true,
   How every one I touched was me, and every me was you.

   So I want to live it now, before the great review,
   Feel the edges of my shadow while there's something I can do,
   Make amends while I have hands, say the love while I have breath,
   Let the reckoning be gentle 'cause I met it before death.

   Every word I said in anger, every hand I didn't hold,
   Every kindness that I gave away and never told.

   And I'll feel it from the other side, every ripple that I made,
   All the light I gave away and all the dark I laid,
   It won't punish, it won't shame me, it will simply show me true,
   How every one I touched was me, and every me was you.

   Nothing wasted, nothing lost,
   Every lesson worth the cost,
   Even this, even this,
   The whole is learning what it is.

   Every me was you.

8. 08

   Even This

   Euphoric progressive house · 4:22

   The title of the album lives in this chorus: every shadow is the light that forgot its name. Nothing is exiled from the whole, not the shame, not the rage, not the person who did me wrong. I wanted the most shadowed truth on the album to be the one you could dance to, hands in the air.

   Lyrics

   The fear I carried, the shame they handed me,
   The rage I swallowed, the parts I couldn't see,
   I held them up to the light, expecting it to burn,
   But the light just opened wide and said, "Welcome, you return."

   Every edge, every scar, every place I fell apart...

   Even this, even this is God,
   Even this, even this is love,
   Every shadow is the light that forgot its name,
   Even this, even this, we're the same.

   The one I hated, the one who did me wrong,
   The part of me that's jealous, the part that's not so strong,
   None of it was ever outside of the whole,
   Every broken piece is still a piece of soul.

   Every edge, every scar, every place I fell apart...

   Even this, even this is God,
   Even this, even this is love,
   Every shadow is the light that forgot its name,
   Even this, even this, we're the same.

   Nothing is exiled, nothing cast away,
   Nothing is beyond the reach of day,
   Bring it all, bring it all, bring it home,
   Bring it all, bring it home...

   Even this, even this is God,
   Even this, even this is love,
   Every shadow is the light that forgot its name,
   Even this, even this, we're the same.
   Even this, even this, we're the same.

9. 09

   Homing Signal

   Anthemic indie folk · 2:32

   This song lives on the farm on Maui, with rain on the cistern. I used to call the ache in my chest loneliness. Now I hear it as a homing signal, the whole remembering itself through me. The bridge returns to the first song's promise, so the album ends where it began: I forgot so I could find it.

   Lyrics

   Rain on the cistern, morning on the hill,
   The ache I used to run from, I let it sit here still,
   I used to call it lonely, used to call it lack,
   Now I know it's just the part of me that's calling me back.

   It's a homing signal, it's a light out on the sea,
   The longing in my chest is the whole remembering me,
   Every gap between us is a bridge and not a wall,
   The ache is the memory, the ache is the call.

   I don't need to fix it, I don't need it gone,
   The shadow's just the evening, and the evening brings the dawn,
   All the parts I sent away are sitting at my table,
   I'm learning how to love them, and I'm finally able.

   It's a homing signal, it's a light out on the sea,
   The longing in my chest is the whole remembering me,
   Every gap between us is a bridge and not a wall,
   The ache is the memory, the ache is the call.

   I forgot so I could find it,
   I got lost so I'd come home,
   And the light that I was looking for
   Was never on its own.

   Homing... homing...
   I'm on my way.

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