Verse 1 The recruiter had a silver tongue and a suit of Sunday best He pinned a tin-star promise to the marrow in my chest He spoke of God and glory, and the land we had to keep While the mothers in the valley were already starting to weep I traded in my plowshare for a rifle cold and black And I marched off with the music, never once looking back. Chorus But the fire don’t look like glory when it’s burning down a home And the Bible feels real heavy when you’re killing on your own I was holding up a banner that was built on sand and lies Now I’m haunted by the questions in a dying soldier's eyes Oh, the wrong side of the river is a lonely place to bleed When you realize the harvest was just bitter, hollow seed. Verse 2 I remember crossing over where the creek runs clear and wide We were told they weren’t like us—that they had no soul inside But I saw a porch swing rocking in the soot and the grey And a child’s wooden horse that we trampled in the clay We weren’t saving any kingdom, we were just a passing storm Breaking hearts and breaking bones to keep a cold king warm. Chorus And the fire don’t look like glory when it’s burning down a home And the Bible feels real heavy when you’re killing on your own I was holding up a banner that was built on sand and lies Now I’m haunted by the questions in a dying soldier's eyes Oh, the wrong side of the river is a lonely place to bleed When you realize the harvest was just bitter, hollow seed. Bridge The medals in my drawer are just scrap metal and rust Because the cause we called "sacred" ended up being dust I’m back home in the valley, but I’m a ghost among the pines Searching for a mercy that a traitor never finds. Outro Yeah, the wind through the hemlocks sounds like a funeral hymn For the man I used to be, before the light grew dim I fought for the devil while I thought I served the light And I’ll be fighting this war every time I close my eyes at night. (Fade out with a slow, minor chord)
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