Hero

Fanmade cover

**Hero** is an unreleased song by Teddy Sinclair. It was likely written and recorded during the studio sessions for her debut studio album as Verbalicious, *Verbal Issues*, but the project was scrapped. The song leaked on July 11, 2016.

## Lyrics

**[Verse 1]**

You asked, "Have I ever seen a broken man?"

A man with a cast or a man with his head in his hands

And nothing left to hold onto but the past

Pain which stains his cheek, pretend it's rain

So we pass him guilt-free while he counts his change

His home and his carrier bags

How many days can a man survive without food, just prayer?

He answers sadly through his stare

I take you there, but I think you're scared

You can't prepare for the weight of this man's sorrow

Maybe tomorrow you'll be ready

But you might not even be there

To borrow a blessing or whatever you kindly spare

Hunched and humbled, he stumbles down one of [?] streets

That laughs as he fumbles through trash, scared to ask

So he mumbles, you shattered his hope like broke glass

What he's thinking? "Sorry I asked"

**[Chorus]**

Tell me, where do the heroes hide, heroes cry?

I feel like giving up

See the world through a thousand eyes, thousand lives

Can't do this alone

Tell me, where do the heroes hide, heroes cry?

I feel like giving up

See the world through a thousand eyes, thousand lives

Can't do this alone

**[Verse 2]**

You asked, "Have I've spoken to a broken man?"

Do I have the compassion just to touch his hand?

Could I cut it in the gutter while he tells me plans he had at my age?

Ambition brutally snatched with opportunities

You probably think me mad

Probably thinkin' it was drugs he had stashed in the bag

Probably call the cops, tell 'em that I'm being harassed

But this man has education and life I'll never had

Cracked shoes with holes in the toes

I told stories of a man with power, now they're missing the soul

His own [?] that he keeps in his pocket like gold

And do I have the heart to tell him that they can't be sold? *(No)*

Weathered lines like dry earth when he smiles

Frayed minds, they recite all the demise in miles

'Cause miles is what he sees from the heap where he sat

But the heap is miles away from the track

**[Chorus]**

Tell me, where do the heroes hide, heroes cry?

I feel like giving up

See the world through a thousand eyes, thousand lives

Can't do this alone

Tell me, where do the heroes hide, heroes cry?

I feel like giving up

See the world through a thousand eyes, thousand lives

Can't do this alone

**[Bridge]**

Could you break bread with a broken man?

Whose hands quiver like you're givin' him a second chance

I ask, could you respect a nameless man?

Whose shame scars him, mocks him like dirt in his hands

I ask, did he fail in life or life fail him?

Could he ever forgive a world that just gives in?

I hear him sing, never lettin' sadness win

'Cause his wisdom shines through the mists of sins

If I could trade places for just one day

A pray would not be brave enough to bear the hate

Could I take the fact that life won't change?

'Cause I'm equal but they view me in a different way

Got no place, streets are home, life's a free ride

But why is he too broke to get on?

This man could be gone, world keep playing this song

But do nothing when the next guy staggers along

**[Chorus]**

Tell me, where do the heroes hide, heroes cry?

I feel like giving up

See the world through a thousand eyes, thousand lives

Can't do this alone

Tell me, where do the heroes hide, heroes cry?

I feel like giving up

See the world through a thousand eyes, thousand lives

Can't do this alone

Tell me, where do the heroes hide, heroes cry?

I feel like giving up

See the world through a thousand eyes, thousand lives

Can't do this alone

Tell me, where do the heroes hide, heroes cry?

I feel like giving up

See the world through a thousand eyes, thousand lives

Can't do this alone

## Background

Hero leaked on July 11, 2016, alongside Fake It, Tough Guys, and Drama.

## Writing and Development

Hero was likely written during the development of the unreleased studio album, *Verbal Issues*, sometime after winning a BBC Radio 1 MC Battle in 2003 and before the album was scrapped in what seems to be late 2005.

#### Note

There is a slight chance this song can be accredited to Verbz due to the close proximity of the two eras in terms of time and music registrations. However, this is unlikely because of the songwriters that are credited, as she worked with them on several Verbalicious songs.

On ASCAP, the song was registered a considerable amount of time before any confirmed Verbz tracks (Shopaholic, Swaggerific, etc.) were, something which is shown by the sizeable gap in the songs' work IDs. However, it was registered after some of these songs on BMI. It is important to note, though, that several other Verbalicious songs, including the third alternate version of Hey Boy, were also registered after Verbz songs on BMI. Based on this information, it is reasonable to assume Hero is a Verbalicious song, but the possibility of it being a Verbz song is higher than in other cases (such as Baseline).

## Registrations

This song was assigned an ISWC, a unique code necessary for commercial releases, which indicates that the song was finished and ready for release at a point in time.

ISWC: T-001.590.082-9

APRA AMCOSASCAPBMGBMIBUMAGEMAISWCSABAMSGAESIAESOCANSongfileSony ATV
## Song Credits

#### Writing and Production

* **Written by:** Teddy Sinclair, Carlos Keery-Fisher, Hugo Lira, Thomas Gustafsson

## References

2. ↑ "she was signed soon after she won a Radio 1 MC competition when she was just 16." February 24, 2005. Retrieved February 25, 2022 via BBC.
3. ↑ "Verbalicious seems to have disapeared too. She had an album, Verbal Issues, in the pipeline but I guess it got shelved." September 14, 2005. Retrieved February 24, 2022 via [Deleted User] on Digital Spy Forums.