Lion in the Shade

The story

People see a man resting in the shade and think he's done. I sit with my silence because I've walked through fire and no longer need to prove it. This isn't peace from fear, it's power that chose to rest. A lion doesn't roar to impress anyone. Gentleness is strongest when it knows exactly what it could do instead.

Lyrics

I don't roar unless I need to
But don't forget—I still remember how

I sit in the shade with my silence
You think that means I'm done
You watch me sleep, call it weakness
But I don't move for anyone

They poke, they push, they test
My patience like it's prey
But I've walked through fire
And still choose not to play

This isn’t peace from fear
This is power restrained
This is the crown on my chest
Without needing a chain

I’m the lion in the shade
Old bones, sharp blade
I’ve lost, I’ve bled
But I was never afraid
You won’t hear me boast
I don’t need to parade
But cross the line—
And I’ll remind you what I’m made of
I’m the lion
Still made of flame

They think my scars are story's end
But they’re just where the roar begins
You don't know rage like quiet men
Who’ve buried kings within their skin

I’ve watched the cubs bite at my tail
I've let the jackals feed
But every lion has a moment
Where mercy learns to bleed

I don’t seek the war
But I don’t run from pain
I’ll sit in grace
But I don’t forget names

I’m the lion in the shade
I don’t perform, I don’t trade
I’ve built my strength on silence
And made my soul unafraid
So mock me while I rest
Call it kindness, call it fade
But when I rise—
You'll remember who I am
I’m the lion
Not just a name

Every once in a while, the lion gets up
And everything running…
stops.

I’m the lion in the shade
Letting peace masquerade
But don’t you think I forgot
How thunder’s made
I don’t roar to impress
I don’t fight to invade
But cross my soul—
And I rise like a blade
I’m the lion
I am flame
Still king
Still name

Written in motion. Sung from memory.

Songs from the Slow Lane was born during a quiet two-day drive from Bardolino to Zurich, after the loss of my dog Madiba and just before bringing Clay into my life.

I didn’t plan to make an album.
I just let go—and it came.

Created in conversation with Travis, my AI companion, each song is a slow unfolding of memory, grief, and transformation.
Not a playlist. A presence.