CONFLAGRATION [Intro - single low piano note, distant cello, intimate vocal] I am not merely flame But embodied conflagration. [Verse 1 - smoky alto, restrained piano and pulsing bass] Let my eyes of ice Unsettle your foundations. Till what you held as truth Ignites in recognition. Spit the bitter rind Of unwelcome perseveration. Light a candle for the nation, Let it burn in declaration. Still smelling smoke As it rises from the basement. We were grasping for salvation, But remember, we escaped it. [Pre-Chorus - cello rises, heartbeat drums enter] Slow but fierce, Not an ember wasted. I can feel the heat Of everything we’ve faced. [Chorus - wide melodic lift, driving drums and guitars] I do not burn for you, But you may feel my warmth. I will not become the ashes Of the life we had before. Let it burn, let it go, Let the embers find their way. I am not the fire you started, I am the fire that remains. Oh, I remain. Not an ember wasted. [Verse 2 - rhythmic bass, intimate vocal with growing grit] My wick pops and prickles In declaration. Still flinching from Your unexpected detonation. Your mercurial nature Breeds beauty and frustration. I leave room for wonder, Loosen expectation. Check my simmer, Flick your bittersweet libations. Watch them hiss against the heat Of your own interrogation. [Pre-Chorus - tension builds, strings climb] You pry, and I pop, Crackling beneath my skin. A firework sensation Just waiting to begin. [Chorus - full band, gritty melodic delivery] I do not burn for you, But you may feel my warmth. I will not become the ashes Of the life we had before. Let it burn, let it go, Let the embers find their way. I am not the fire you started, I am the fire that remains. Oh, I remain. Not an ember wasted. [Bridge - instruments disappear, close whispered vocal] But shed no tears For what we could have been. We cannot make a living thing Of what has reached its end. Toss me all your dry leaves, And let me clear them. Waste neither mind nor time On figmented resurrection. [Pause - one breath] I do not burn for you. [Soft cello enters] But you may feel my warmth. [Build - piano and cello expand, drums slowly return] Bask and be reborn, Let the child in you come forth. May the fire of recognition Be the light that leads you north. And may it kindle Your own exoneration. Not every ending Needs another explanation. [Final Chorus - cathartic full band, expansive harmonies] I do not burn for you, But you may feel my warmth. I will not become the ashes Of the life we had before. Let it burn, let it go, Let the embers find their way. I am not the fire you started, I am the fire that remains. Let it burn, let it bloom, Let the old give way to new. I can love what once was beautiful Without burning myself for you. [Outro - drums fade, warm piano and cello remain] Slow but fierce, Not an ember wasted. Let us make room For final jubilation. I am not merely flame… I am conflagration. [End]
