[Verse 1]
She keeps a quiet fire burning underneath the calm
Like a summer river running deep enough to drown
She'll hold the whole room steady while she's breaking on the inside
Carrying everyone she loves and setting her own weight aside
There's an ocean in her chest that she has learned to navigate
And a mind that won't stop turning 'til the crooked parts are straight

[PreChorus]
She sees the cracks in everything and still she calls it beautiful
That kind of grace ain't given, it's the hardest kind of miracle

[Chorus]
Shine on, Mercedes, you were written in the tide
Every wave that ever broke you built the strength you carry inside
The moon knows all your secrets and the stars have always known
You are found, you are held, you are never, ever alone

[Verse 2]
She loves the way a carpenter loves every joint and grain
Not with thunder and with lightning, but with care inside the rain
She notices the small things that the rest of the world walks by
Keeps a list of little kindnesses she gives without a why
But somewhere in the giving she forgets to take her turn
She tends to every garden but her own still needs to burn

[PreChorus]
The same hands that heal every broken thing deserve a gentler touch
She was never too little, she was always more than enough

[Chorus]
Shine on, Mercedes, you were written in the tide
Every wave that ever broke you built the strength you carry inside
The moon knows all your secrets and the stars have always known
You are found, you are held, you are never, ever alone

[Verse 3]
She's stood at every crossroads with a compass in her chest
Not looking for the easy road, just searching for the best
Her mind runs like a wild creek through every what and why
But that restless kind of thinking is the reason she flies high
She dreams the way the deep earth dreams, in centuries and stone
Building something meant to last from everything she's known

[PreChorus]
The world she's working hard to build is already taking shape
Every stumble was the lesson, not a flaw she needs to shake

[Chorus]
Shine on, Mercedes, you were written in the tide
Every wave that ever broke you built the strength you carry inside
The moon knows all your secrets and the stars have always known
You are found, you are held, you are never, ever alone

[Verse 4]
She used to think that being whole meant having nothing left to mend
Now she knows the broken places are where the light gets in
She's the kind of soul the universe takes its time to make
Equal parts of soft and iron, equal give and take
She don't need to be the loudest voice to leave a lasting mark
The ones who change the world the most are gentle in the dark

[PreChorus]
She was never meant to shrink herself to fit what others see
She was carved from deeper waters and she's finally running free

[Chorus]
Shine on, Mercedes, you were written in the tide
Every wave that ever broke you built the strength you carry inside
The moon knows all your secrets and the stars have always known
You are found, you are held, you are never, ever alone

[Bridge]
The cosmos didn't make a mistake the night they made her soul
Every scar she wore like armor was already making her whole
She don't have to earn the right to rest or prove her worth to stay
She was enough before the first light broke, and she still is today

[Outro]
So let the tide roll in and let it carry what's been lost
Everything she's walked through, Lord, she more than paid the cost
Shine on, Mercedes, you were always worth the light
The stars have had your name since long before the night