I Choose Me

I counted days, I counted years,
Believing you would come around.
Kept every door inside my heart
Unlocked somehow.

I searched your silence for a sign,
A hidden meaning in between.
But time revealed what I refused
To see.

Love shouldn't live on one heartbeat.
Love shouldn't walk on one pair of feet.

I'm tired of waiting for you.
Watching the seasons fade away.
Every promise, every maybe,
Slowly slipped away.

I'm tired of waiting for you.
I've given more than I should.
And I finally understand:

I deserve to be loved.

I don't regret the love I gave.
It made me stronger than before.
But love was never meant to be
A lonely war.

I waited years for yes or no.
You gave me neither, only time.
And silence spoke the truth
You never said aloud.

Love shouldn't live on one heartbeat.
Love shouldn't walk on one pair of feet.

I'm tired of waiting for you.
Watching the seasons fade away.
Every promise, every maybe,
Slowly slipped away.

I'm tired of waiting for you.
I've given more than I should.
And I finally understand:
I deserve to be loved.

Maybe part of me
Will always remember your name.
Maybe some stars
Never completely fade.

But I won't stay
Inside a story that's already gone.
Tonight I choose myself.

No more waiting for you.
No more living inside yesterday.
The door is open,
But I'm walking a different way.

If you come back someday,
You may finally understand.

I still believe in love.
I just choose me.
I have the right
To be loved.

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Here are linkg to two arrangements of this song:

https://disk.yandex.ru/d/m5jc4XtGjFU7YA

https://disk.yandex.ru/d/PZ_56Xgn_2GnrQ

Two voices.
Two journeys.
One choice.
I Choose Me.


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About "I Choose Me"
An interesting thing happened while creating the English version of this song.
The original Russian lyrics tell a very specific story — a man's story. It is about waiting, unanswered feelings, and finally finding the strength to move forward.
But during the process of English translation (I call it a Cultural Recomposition), the song began to change.
The focus gradually shifted away from the person being waited for and toward the person who had been waiting.
That is how the title "I Choose Me" was born.
And something unexpected happened: the song no longer belonged exclusively to a male voice.
The phrase "I Choose Me" can be spoken by:

• a man recovering from a difficult relationship;
• a woman who has spent too long sacrificing herself for others;
• anyone finding the courage to step out of emotional dependence and reclaim their own life.

Perhaps that is why both the male and female versions feel equally natural.
The story may begin differently, but the destination is the same:

self-respect,
healing,
and the decision to move forward.

Listen to both versions and decide for yourself.
Are they the same song?
Or have they become two different journeys toward the same light?


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This song in Russian is via the link:

http://stihi.ru/2026/06/06/884