Dakota Carmona - Anxiety (She Pretended) (Official Lyric Video)

Oh dear mother… it’s that time of year again 🥹🖤 Happy almost birthday, maw. I am so damn thankful that you are my mom. You raised me to be kind, to care deeply, to say how I feel, and honestly because of you I have this huge heart that feels EVERYTHING whether I want it to or not lol. I remember all the stories you used to tell me about growing up. The hard stuff. The things you went through. The things you probably didn’t even realize stuck with me as much as they did. And I took those stories and turned them into something for you. Anxiety (She Pretended) is told from a POV looking into parts of my mother’s childhood and past, but it also carries the emotions I felt hearing those stories from her. The sadness, the strength, the confusion, the hurt, the survival… all of it. I wanted this song to feel like a story being told piece by piece. A little girl learning how to survive. A woman learning how to keep going. A mother hiding things behind a smile because she didn’t want her kids carrying the same weight she did. This one took me MONTHS to fully put together because I wanted it to feel right. I didn’t want to rush something this personal, and I am honestly so happy with how this special project came out. Mom, I hope you know how proud I am of you. I’m so happy for the future you have in front of you and so thankful for everything you gave me, even during times when you probably didn’t feel like you had much left to give anybody. You made it through so much. And you still managed to raise me with a heart big enough to feel for other people. So yeah… this one is for you, maw. 🖤 Your birthday is technically tomorrow but we both know I absolutely suck at keeping anything a secret, even for ONE more day 😂 I hope you have the best birthday ever tomorrow. I love you very much and I am so happy and proud of you. Happy birthday, Mom. 🖤 Dakota Carmona - Anxiety (She Pretended) (Official Lyrics) [Intro] She hid secrets behind her beautiful smile — Secrets she knew her kids could never handle. She’s a fighter — she's never backed down — She made it out a survivor. [Verse 1] She comes from a poor family — she learned how to stretch a dollar. Her father taught her the hard way — money doesn't grow on trees. Her mother showed her — how to keep her pretty little mouth shut. She learned early — being pretty — meant nothing — if you weren’t useful. [Chorus] Her heart — fragile like porcelain — slowly chipping apart. She leaves behind — bits and pieces — shattered herself — like broken glass. She’s still pretending — just barely hanging on — hoping no one notices. She’s already gone — they still expect her to smile — like nothing was taken from her. [Verse 2] She wipes the tears from her eyes — just before the sun will rise. Her happiness — a carefully crafted lie — rest in peace — she'd rather die. She can’t escape — there's no way out — it's a hard pill to swallow. She’s a prisoner — trapped — locked in — she feels ugly — in her skin. [Pre-Chorus] She hid secrets behind her beautiful smile — Secrets she knew her kids could never handle. She’s a fighter — she's never backed down — She made it out a survivor. [Chorus] Her heart — fragile like porcelain — slowly chipping apart. She leaves behind — bits and pieces — shattered herself — like broken glass. She’s still pretending — just barely hanging on — hoping no one notices. She’s already gone — they still expect her to smile — like nothing was taken from her. [Bridge] She's left to wonder — wonder who she really is. If she's not a mother — if she's not a wife — she's left to wonder. Maybe she never mattered — maybe she never stood a chance. She's fragile like porcelain — no one handled her with care. [Verse 3] She's covered in dust — forgotten on the shelf. She's chipped from being passed around. She's a Barbi Doll — she doesn't feel real. Plastic smile — she's painted pretty — she's all dressed up — just for display. [Pre-Chorus] She hid secrets behind her beautiful smile — Secrets she knew her kids could never handle. She’s a fighter — she's never backed down — She made it out a survivor. [Chorus] Her heart — fragile like porcelain — slowly chipping apart. She leaves behind — bits and pieces — shattered herself — like broken glass. She’s still pretending — just barely hanging on — hoping no one notices. She’s already gone — they still expect her to smile — like nothing was taken from her. [Outro] Her hands were shaking — she poured her favorite coffee. She pretended — she still had time. She closed the bedroom door — without saying goodbye. She never came out — hours later — she was found — face down on the floor.