Abuse - It can happen to Anyone

Verse 1

Outside, you’re the one who gets things done,
Keeps the wheels turning, looks after everyone.
Inside, you’re rehearsing what you’re going to say,
Checking their mood at the end of the day.
Keys in the door and your shoulders go tight,
Working out which version’s coming home tonight.
You used to speak freely, now you edit each phrase—
Trying to stay safe takes up most of your days.

“Who were you with?” “Let me look at your phone.”
They got an explanation for keeping you home.
One less friend, and one less place you go,
Till your world gets smaller and nobody knows.
You call it a bad patch, you hope it will pass,
Hold on to the good days, wish they would last.
But love doesn’t give them the right to control
Your money, your body, your choices, your home.

Verse 2

Any age, any gender, any walk of life,
Any bank balance, husband, partner, wife.
The person with confidence, the person with friends,
The person you’d swear would never stand for this.
It rarely arrives with a warning attached;
Sometimes it starts with a perfect match.
Then concern turns to checking, and requests to a rule,
And disagreement gets called being cruel.

Sometimes it’s a fist. Sometimes it’s a threat.
Sometimes it’s the wages you’re never allowed to get.
Sex you didn’t choose, doors you cannot pass,
Being told you’re worthless till you start to ask:
“Was there something I did? Could I get this right?”
You can’t earn their respect by surviving another night.
You can care about them and still name what they do.
Their choice to cause harm doesn’t belong to you.

Verse 3

Uh, what happened to you was not okay.
No excuse makes it right, whatever they say.
If you couldn’t move, couldn’t speak, couldn’t fight,
That wasn’t permission. It didn’t make it right.

Fight, flight or freeze—when you’re under attack,
You don’t always choose how your body reacts.
Freezing isn’t compliance; silence isn’t consent.
Being unable to stop it doesn’t mean agreement.

You didn’t have to fight to prove it was wrong.
You didn’t have to run to prove you were strong.
The blame belongs to the person causing harm—
You deserve to be heard, to be safe, to be calm.

And “just leave” is easy from outside the door,
When they don’t know the threats or what leaving could cost.
There are children, a rent bill, a place you might lose,
And fear of what happens the moment you move.
You need someone who listens and takes this seriously,
Who asks what you need, then respects your uncertainty.
You don’t need a showdown. You don’t need a speech.
Find a safe way to put some support within reach.

A friend, a colleague, a specialist line:
“I need to talk privately. Can you make some time?”
Can start with one sentence, leave the rest for later;
You don’t have to present them with a case on paper.
But if the first person doubts you, their doubt isn’t proof.
Find another who’ll listen and make room for the truth.
If you stayed, if you froze, if you went back before—
You still deserve help when you’re reaching for it once more.

Outro

You don’t have to decide your whole future today.
When it’s safe, tell someone what’s happened.
Let them stand beside you
While you find your way.