Return to Sender · Track 10
For when you realize you were being held to rules they were quietly breaking themselves.
Inside this song
Why was I constantly proving my loyalty while they were quietly breaking the same rules they expected me to follow?
Someone else’s suspicion doesn’t automatically mean you’ve done something wrong. You don’t have to keep proving yourself inside a relationship where honesty, reassurance, and loyalty only seem to be expected in one direction.
“It’s always one rule for me, another one for you I played by the lines, you just bent them ’til they blew”
For when you realize you spent so much time defending yourself against their accusations that you almost missed the double standard underneath them.
Read the full storyLyric sheet
You wanted loyalty while breaking your own vows, demanded reassurance, but you never gave it out. I gave you details you never even asked, while you kept me in the dark, hiding shadows in the back. Pre-Chorus It's always one rule for me, another one for you, I played by the lines, you just bent them 'til they blew. Chorus Double standard, that's your crown, demanding what you can't hand down. I was loyal, you were looking, I was truthful, you were scheming. Left me begging while you lied, guess control is how you hide. Double standard, hypocrite, you can't handle what you did. Verse 2 I begged for answers, you left me guessing, but couldn't stand the silence when you were stressing. You spun your guilt and wore it like it's mine, but projection doesn't change the crime. One rule for me, another one for you, I kept my promises, you broke them through and through. Chorus Double standard, that's your crown, demanding what you can't hand down. I was loyal, you were looking, I was truthful, you were scheming. Left me begging while you lied, guess control is how you hide. Double standard, hypocrite, you can't handle what you did. You starved me of the love I gave away for free, then blamed your mess on me.
You couldn't face the mirror, so you shattered mine instead. But the cracks just show the truth: it was never me, it was you standard, wear your shame, rewriting rules to dodge the blame. I was loyal, you were hiding, I was truthful, you were scheming. Left me empty, still I stood, but you'll never match my good. Double standard, hypocrite, you can't handle what you did. Outro "Demanding loyalty you could never give... that's the game you'll always lose."
About the song
For when you realize you were being held to rules they were quietly breaking themselves.
The story behind
“Double Standard” is about being expected to follow rules the other person was quietly breaking themselves. I was expected to give loyalty, reassurance, honesty, and transparency while being left in the dark. I kept trying to prove that I was trustworthy while questioning behavior that never seemed to match the standards being placed on me.
For a long time, the accusations kept my attention on myself. I was so busy proving what I wasn’t doing that I wasn't asking why I wasn't receiving the same honesty I was expected to give. Eventually, I realized how backwards that was. The line, “It’s always one rule for me, another one for you.” became the heart of this song. Because trust can't work when one person is expected to constantly provide reassurance while the other withholds it. Transparency can't be demanded from one person while secrecy is excused in the other. Loyalty can't be a requirement in one direction and an option in the other. The projection was another part I had to understand. When someone repeatedly questions your intentions, you can start looking at yourself through their suspicion. You explain more. Defend yourself more. Offer more proof. And eventually, you can become so consumed with proving your innocence that you stop trusting your own perception of what's happening.
That's why the line, “You couldn’t face the mirror So you shattered mine instead.” means so much to me.
I spent too long looking into that broken mirror and wondering what was wrong with my reflection. Healing was realizing I didn't have to keep carrying accusations, guilt, or suspicion simply because someone handed them to me. This song isn't about saying I was perfect. It's about recognizing that mutuality matters. If you want loyalty, give loyalty. If you need reassurance, offer reassurance. If you expect honesty, be honest. If transparency matters, it has to move in both directions. Love can't survive on one set of rules for me and another set for you. Trust has to move both ways.
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