Load Management

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Load Management lyrics

Artist-supplied lyric sheet, matched by title. The sheet may differ from this released performance. Production notes and alternate promotional cuts are omitted.

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Intro

“…day-to-day with the knee… questionable for Game 5… load management decision…”

Verse 1

Playoffs on, volume up, dad leaned all the way in Commentator naming injuries like he’s reading next of kin “Resting him tonight, smart move, protect the asset” Dad nods like he wrote the book, like he never missed a practice I watch him remember every player’s rehab clock But ask him what I wore to school last week — he draws a blank The screen glows blue across his face, the only light in here He knows their minutes, knows their soreness, knows their fear

Pre-chorus

They show the slow-mo of the player hitting the floor Dad shakes his head, “These kids today don’t want it anymore” I feel the words land different, like they’re aimed at me All the nights I waited up and he was “resting” too, apparently

Chorus

Load management, that’s what he calls it When he skips the hard parts, when he misses the moments My heart’s on the IR, day-to-day with the ache But Dad’s too busy watching the game

Verse 2

Star goes down live, arena goes quiet for a second Dad launches into a rant about wasted prime and seconds I feel every word hit like it’s got my name on it All the times I tried to show him something and he wasn’t watching Emotional injuries don’t show up on the highlight reel No slow-mo replay for how it made a kid feel He critiques their rehab like he’s the one who wrote the plan But never once asked if I was okay when I needed a hand

Pre-chorus

The injury report scrolls, names I’ll never meet Dad leans closer to the screen like it’s the only thing that’s real I clear my throat, “Remember when I was ten and—” “Shhh,” he says, “game’s on,” and I swallow it again

Chorus

Load management, that’s what he calls it When he skips the hard parts, when he misses the moments My heart’s on the IR, day-to-day with the ache But Dad’s too busy watching the game

Verse 3

Player goes down hard, the whole arena holds its breath Dad: “Toughen up, that’s what the league is for, you hear me?” Something in me breaks, the words come out before I think “Like you did with me? Load managing your love till it went extinct?” The room gets small, the TV still talking like nothing changed Dad looks at me like I just called a timeout on the whole game

Bridge

“I didn’t know how to… I thought showing up was enough” “I was scared of messing up so I stayed tough” “But I see it now… the way you look at the screen” “Like I’m doing to you what they did to me”

Verse 4

Commercial hits, the room goes quiet for the first time all night He mutes the TV, first time he’s looked at me right “I’m sorry, kid. I was load managing my own stuff” “Never meant to bench you when you needed the love” “I thought if I kept score on the game I could keep score on us” “But I see the stat line now… I was losing by a lot”

Verse 5

We sit there while the game comes back on Something shifted, the tension’s mostly gone “Tomorrow,” he says, “let’s shoot some hoops, just us two” “Not to fix it all… just to start something new” I nod. It’s not a miracle. It’s not a parade. It’s just two people deciding the bench doesn’t have to stay

Chorus

Load management, maybe we can change the play Call a timeout on the silence, find a better way My heart’s still healing but the lights are on And Dad’s here watching — not just the game, but his son

Outro

“…lights still on… barely…” “But tomorrow we shoot.”

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01 / The opening