Flak Jacket Heart

This track comes from Aaron's military service — Air Force enlisted, Army Infantry officer, DoD civilian at SPAWAR/NIWC. It tackles Building emotional armor during service, the protective shell that's hard to take off when you come home. The lyrics get specific — "Strapped it on day one and never took it off" — because personal tracks on Majik's are personal for real, not performatively. The rock production matches the energy of the confession. It hits aggressive and protective, in that order. Every personal track in the catalogue comes from a real moment, a real feeling, a real person. This one is no exception.

[verse 1] Strapped it on day one and never took it off Flak jacket for the chest, but the heart got soft Underneath the kevlar, underneath the steel There's a kid from the block who still remembers how to feel But you don't show that out here, that's a liability So I wrapped my vulnerability in military agility Yes sir, no sir, three bags full sir Meanwhile my soul's collecting dust on a shelf, sir Every deployment added another layer Another inch of armor, another silent prayer [chorus] Flak jacket heart, bulletproof on the outside But the shrapnel's on the inside where I hide Flak jacket heart, can't let nothing penetrate But the weight of all this armor might be sealing my fate I'm protected but I'm drowning I'm defended but I'm down and This flak jacket heart don't know how to take it off [verse 2] Came home and wore it to the grocery store Wore it to the family dinner, couldn't take no more Small talk feels like incoming when you're wired tight Every car backfire puts you back in the fight They say relax, decompress, let your guard down sailor But you don't unknot a decade in a day, neighbor My girl says I'm distant, says I'm somewhere else I'm right here baby, I just can't reach myself Through all this armor that I swore would keep me safe Now it's a prison and I'm locked behind my face [chorus] Flak jacket heart, bulletproof on the outside But the shrapnel's on the inside where I hide Flak jacket heart, can't let nothing penetrate But the weight of all this armor might be sealing my fate I'm protected but I'm drowning I'm defended but I'm down and This flak jacket heart don't know how to take it off [bridge] Maybe strength isn't the armor Maybe strength is letting someone see the scars Maybe the bravest thing a sailor does Is dock the ship and open up the doors Plate by plate, strap by strap Let the light in through the gaps [verse 3] So I'm peeling back the layers, one deployment at a time Every therapist appointment is a step across the line From the man they made me into to the man I choose to be Stransky underneath the armor, finally breaking free Still got the discipline, still got the bearing But now I choose which battles are worth wearing This heavy chest plate for, and most of them aren't So I'm learning how to live with a flak jacket heart That's finally, slowly, learning how to restart [chorus] Flak jacket heart, bulletproof on the outside But the shrapnel's on the inside where I hide Flak jacket heart, can't let nothing penetrate But the weight of all this armor might be sealing my fate I'm protected but I'm drowning I'm defended but I'm down and This flak jacket heart is finally taking it off