THE FIRE AND THE VANITIES

Verse 1 A spark broke the silence. I heard it all so well, A glowing twig, a seed of fire, hunger in the air. The flames were small, a shadow’s breath; they lingered in the gloom, And when whispers lit the tinder, the fire began to bloom. ⸻ Pre-Chorus 1 They built a story brick by brick, A castle made of spite and tricks. They whispered in the hollow halls, Till my name was smeared across the walls. The gavel fell without a sound, Though no true charge was ever found. ⸻ Chorus 1 Now I stand in the silence, where my laughter used to be, The flames have long since faded; there’s nothing left of me. A forest turned to ashes, a sky that’s painted grey, I trace the ruins of my name, and watch it blow away. ⸻ Verse 2 They spoke of crimes I never knew, Slander in the class, the stories grew. The fires roared, and memory wept, Inventions cruel, their lies well kept. Their voices louder than the truth, A ghost erased before their eyes, Stripped of all my colours, left with only night. ⸻ Pre-Chorus 2 They wrote their verdict with no proof, The judgment passed, the gavel fell. A story scorched, yet never true, The fire took its course, And left me standing with remorse. ⸻ Chorus 2 Now I stand in the silence, where my laughter used to be, The flames have long since faded, but there’s nothing left of me. A forest turned to ashes, a sky that’s painted grey, The ruins of my name, I watch them blow away. ⸻ Bridge I tried to speak, but they stole my voice, Turned my pain into their noise. Echoes cold, so cold and cruel, A shadowed world where lies still rule. The gavel falls in hollow halls, But truth still waits beyond their walls. ⸻ Final Chorus (victorious) But I rise from the embers, I will not fade away, They burned my world to blackened soot, but I will find the day. This isn’t my ending, I won’t bow, I won’t break, Through the smoke and through the ruin, with God I will remake. No gavel’s weight can seal my fate, The light will set it straight. Though the pain and the fire He will remake