“14. The House We Built” from The House That Trauma Built by Li Jean-Luc Harris. Released: 2026. Track 14.
Lyrics:
(Verse 1)
The coffee’s on, the morning’s slow
No shouting echoes from the hall
Just the fountain in the koi pond, running soft and low
The weeds are gone, the path is clear, I watched the ivy crawl
There’s a mortgage statement on the kitchen top
A world away from watching doors for storms that wouldn’t stop
I can finally breathe the air and feel the coming peace
A quiet kind of love, a beautiful release.
(Pre-Chorus)
And there’s a part of me that’s still braced for the fall
Waiting for the other shoe to drop against the wall
But you just smile and pull me close and say it’s all okay
And the ghosts of yesterday just fade away.
(Chorus)
And this is the house that we built, you and me
On a foundation of patience for the boy I used to be
It’s not built on the fault lines of a fractured, broken past
It’s a home built on a gentle love, a love we knew would last
A place where all the ghosts know they can’t come through the door
This isn’t just surviving, Josh… this is something more.
(Verse 2)
There’s a letter from the council, pinned up on the wall
We spent all Sunday building up a wardrobe from the store
My hands were shaking slightly as I tried to fix the frame
A different kind of tremor, a different kind of aim
And I ask you, “Are we ready? Am I strong enough for this?”
You say, “Your whole life led you here, you can’t possibly miss.”
(Pre-Chorus)
And there’s a part of me that’s still braced for the fall
Waiting for the other shoe to drop against the wall
But you just smile and pull me close and say it’s all okay
And the ghosts of yesterday just fade away.
(Chorus)
‘Cause this is the house that we built, you and me
On a foundation of patience for the boy I used to be
It’s not built on the fault lines of a fractured, broken past
It’s a home built on a gentle love, a love we knew would last
A place where all the ghosts know they can’t come through the door
This isn’t just surviving, Josh… this is something more.
(Bridge)
From a tent in the woods to this key in my hand
From a medicated mess to a man with a plan
Every scar is a lesson, every wound is a guide
The silence they gave me taught me to listen deep inside
The chaos they fostered taught me how to build a steady ground
The loneliness I lived in taught me how to stick around
I’m the architect who’s using the stones from the fires of my hell
To build a kid a future, and a story they can tell.
(Outro)
The kettle is singing a quiet, happy tune
This is the sound of a cycle that breaks
This is the feeling of all that it takes
The love that you give and the life that you make
And there’s a room upstairs just waiting… a brand new start…
The house that we built with my own broken heart…
Is finally, finally… a home.