*Verse 1* I came up where the timber grows, Where the summer turns the hills to gold, Pulled on my boots before the sun, And learned real quick this job ain't fun. Twenty miles with a Pulaski in hand, Cutting line through the burning land, A hotshot crew with a job to do, And you better trust the man beside you. *Chorus* **I've got smoke in my blood, Ash on my face, I've walked through fire Just to hold my place. From the hotshot line To the helicopter sky, To an engine on the shoulder When the flames run high. I don't do it for the glory, I don't do it for the pay— I do it for the people Who need another day.** *Verse 2* Then came the helicopter, rotors turning, Dust flying while the ridges burned. Harness tight and the crew locked in, Flying straight toward the place Where nobody else wants to begin. We'd jump into a smoke-filled world, With the mountains underneath us curled, And when that ship disappeared from sight, All we had was our crew and the fight. *Chorus* **I've got smoke in my blood, Ash on my face, I've walked through fire Just to hold my place. From the hotshot line To the helicopter sky, To an engine on the shoulder When the flames run high. I don't do it for the glory, I don't do it for the pay— I do it for the people Who need another day.** *Verse 3* Then I rode an engine where the highways bend, Watching the fire like an old enemy friend. Pump running hard, hose stretched out, Waiting on the word when the fire breaks out. Structure protection, flank attack, Smoke so thick you can't see back. But when that fire comes rolling down, You hold your ground and protect that town. *Bridge* I've slept on dirt beneath the stars, I've eaten cold food beside burned cars. I've watched the sunrise through a wall of smoke, Heard a tired crew laugh at a stupid joke. I've seen strong men drop their heads When the radio called another man dead. And I've learned something the fire can't take: **You don't leave your brother For your own sake.** *Quiet Verse* Every scar has got a story, Every bootprint marks a mile. Every name that's on that roster Is somebody's reason to smile. We're not chasing after danger, We're just standing where we're needed, And when the flames come knocking, We're the ones who don't retreat. *Final Chorus* **I've got smoke in my blood, Ash on my face, I've walked through fire Just to hold my place. From the hotshot line To the helicopter sky, To an engine on the shoulder When the flames run high. I don't do it for the glory, I don't do it for the fame— I do it for the family Waiting somewhere down the way. I've carried that fire Everywhere I've gone, And when the shift is over, The smoke still lingers on. You can take away the engine, Take the ship out of the sky— But you'll never take the wildland Out of this firefighter's eyes.** *Outro* So here's to every hotshot Who walked beneath that sun, Every engine crew that held the line When there was nowhere left to run. Here's to every helicopter That flew into the flame… **And every firefighter Who answered when it came.**
