There’s a stigma in our society
That says men are not allowed to be abused
They shouldn’t let themselves get abused, anyway
I’ve never understood this double standard
I’ve never understood why that’s absolutely okay
I don’t even understand peoples’ reasoning
Men are strong, they say
Men don’t express emotions, they say
Last time I checked, men are also human beings
That have every right to feel pain and sadness
That mentality alone makes me very sad
I shouldn’t have to be worried about harassment
After coming out about being abused
What kind of world is that?
I’m not saying men being abused is somehow “worse”
Than women being abused, whether it’s emotionally or physically
Because it’s just as valid and it’s just as awful
I’m just saying that men have a harder time to admit it

There are many reasons why I’ve stayed quiet
I was ashamed of myself
I shouldn’t have seen the signs, but I ignored them all
I thought what I had was love
The more I think about it, the more it never was
She just wanted someone to manipulate
And I just wanted someone to actually love me in return
For a time I felt more disgusted with myself
But now I know my own self-worth
Now I know that I never deserve to be treated that way
I also felt ashamed in the eyes of society
Men who are abused are weak-minded and not “real men”
Let me ask you something, though
Have you ever been emotionally, physically, or verbally abused
By someone that you love?
So many emotions constantly ran through my head
I didn’t know if I should feel angry, afraid, or embarrassed

The only problem was she always knew just what to say
So I wouldn’t come to my senses and finally leave
She had me wrapped around her finger
Her hands were wrapped around my neck
She could have been choking me half to death
But I would’ve apologized for needing to catch my breath
Don’t tell me I should have just left her
Do you have an idea how bad I wanted to?
She made me feel absolutely worthless
She also made me feel like she was all I could get
We accept the love we think we deserve
And if we have a low sense of self-worth
Well, that’s what we’re most likely to attract
I was just looking for someone to finally love me

Being abused by someone you loved
And someone that you thought loved you
Is one of the worst things that anyone could go through
Why is okay for women to come out about being abused
But men are ridiculed and abused even more?
I’m sorry, but I really can’t stay quiet
Say what you will, but I’m an abuse survivor
I’ll never live in silence again
A part of me regrets every second I spent with her
But I wouldn’t be the man I am today
I just never would wish that kind of treatment on anyone
Not even my worst enemies
I was once worthless and I let myself believe it
I’ll never let myself sink that low again
I’ll never let myself become hopeless once more