Nobody Saw - Single by Soléma

[Intro — Spoken softly over bass guitar and flute] Everybody sees the children when they’re grown. Everybody sees the accomplishments, the smiles, the moments that turned out right… But nobody saw what it took to get them there. Sometimes one person did the work that was meant for two. And somehow… they kept going. This song is for you. ⸻ [Verse 1] Nobody saw you count that money At the kitchen table late at night Figuring which bill could wait till Friday Trying to make a little stretch just right Nobody saw you put it back Something you wanted from the store ‘Cause somebody needed shoes for school So you said, “I don’t need it anymore” Nobody saw the tired in your body After working all day long Walk through the door and hear, “I need you” And somehow you still carried on You made dinner, checked the homework Listened like you hadn’t worked at all Held everybody else together With nobody there to catch your fall ⸻ [Pre-Chorus] They saw you standing They never saw you shake They saw what you provided Never knew what it would take You weren’t made to carry Every burden on your own But love kept saying, “Get back up” Every time you felt alone ⸻ [Chorus] Nobody saw you crying When everybody went to sleep Nobody saw you staring at the ceiling With promises you had to keep Nobody saw the sacrifice Every time you went without They only saw you make it happen Never knew what it took out You did the work of two With just one pair of hands And even when you didn’t know how Somehow you found a way again So this one’s for the ones Who raised a family on their own I see you… Even if nobody saw. ⸻ [Verse 2] Nobody saw the invitations You turned down and stayed at home ‘Cause there wasn’t anybody you could call And you couldn’t leave those babies alone Nobody saw the lonely moments Watching everybody else move free While your whole world lived inside that house Depending on you for everything And people always had an opinion When they heard you raised them by yourself Like somehow being there alone Meant you must’ve brought it on yourself They never asked what really happened Never walked one mile inside your shoes It’s easy judging from the outside When you never had to choose Between your wants and what they needed Between your rest and one more shift Between falling down completely And finding something more to give ⸻ [Pre-Chorus] They saw you standing They never saw you shake They saw what you provided Never knew what it would take You weren’t made to carry Every burden on your own But love kept saying, “Get back up” Every time you felt alone ⸻ [Chorus] Nobody saw you crying When everybody went to sleep Nobody saw you staring at the ceiling With promises you had to keep Nobody saw the sacrifice Every time you went without They only saw you make it happen Never knew what it took out You did the work of two With just one pair of hands And even when you didn’t know how Somehow you found a way again So this one’s for the ones Who raised a family on their own I see you… Even if nobody saw. ⸻ [Verse 3 — Bass, Rhodes and flute] Nobody saw the lists inside your head The things you couldn’t dare forget Appointments, meals and school tomorrow And somehow you kept track of it Nobody saw you lying there Too tired to sleep, too wired to rest Thinking ten steps into morning While your body begged for less Nobody saw the fear you carried Wondering if you’d done enough Wondering how you’d face tomorrow When today had been so rough Nobody saw you find the strength To smile before they woke again Put your worries in the background And become their safe place then Nobody saw the thousand choices Made before the day was through All the little ways you disappeared So they could make it safely through ⸻ [Bridge — Vocal builds] Mother… I see you. Father… I see you. Grandma raising babies When you thought your raising days were through… I see you. Granddad holding down that household… I see you. Auntie… Uncle… Big sister… Big brother… Family friend who stepped in When somebody had to… I see you. You didn’t have all the answers. You didn’t always get it right. But you stayed. You worked. You sacrificed. You loved. And when giving up would’ve been easier… You didn’t. ⸻ [Final Chorus — Full R&B groove] Nobody saw you crying When everybody went to sleep Nobody saw how many promises You were fighting hard to keep Nobody saw the sacrifice Or everything you went without They only saw you make it happen Never knew what it took out You did the work of two With one heart and two tired hands And every morning you got up And somehow found the strength again So this one’s for the ones Who raised a family on their own You deserve your flowers For every seed you’ve ever sown And if nobody ever told you After everything you’ve been through… I see you. We see you. You kept that whole world moving When the weight was all on you. ⸻ [Outro — Bass guitar and flute]