From the recording PHRONESIS
“House Arrest” captures the painful tension between the desire to confront an uncomfortable past and the fear that keeps old wounds unspoken. Returning to his childhood street, the narrator finds himself emotionally trapped by the presence of the domineering uncle next door—a figure whose threat lingers even as years have passed. The recurring refrain of “house arrest” becomes both literal and metaphorical: though he holds the keys and the door stands open, he remains bound by the invisible chains of childhood trauma and self-silencing. The song’s steady build—from quiet restraint to the final plea for strength—mirrors the struggle to reclaim agency, showing how the hardest prison to escape can be the one built by memory and fear
Lyrics
Verse 1
Came back to the street where my shadow grew,
Childhood ghosts still waiting in the view.
Next door the old man’s eyes still burn,
Every step I take, the memories turn.
Pre-Chorus
I bite my tongue, the words stay caged,
A lifetime of silence, quietly aged.
Chorus
I’m under house arrest,
Walls of my past press tight on my chest.
I walk these rooms like a runaway guest—
Freedom’s outside, but fear says “stay.”
Yeah, I’m under house arrest.
Verse 2
He slams his door, engine coughing loud,
Too blind to the danger, too proud for the crowd.
I want to shout: “It’s time to let go!”
But the boy inside me still whispers “No.”
Pre-Chorus
Every breath is a quiet war,
I can’t be the kid he broke before.
Chorus
I’m under house arrest,
Walls of my past press tight on my chest.
I walk these rooms like a runaway guest—
Freedom’s outside, but fear says “stay.”
Yeah, I’m under house arrest.
Bridge
Keys in my pocket, door wide open,
But the chain of the years stays unbroken.
A prisoner of the silence I keep,
Dreaming of nights where I finally sleep.
Chorus
I’m under house arrest
Gotta break free
House arrest
Remove the chain
Don’t wanna be a prisoner in my own house
Give me strength