[Verse 1 - solo piano and lead vocal only, dry and intimate] I've been buried under rubble, swallowed whole by smoke Tallied every scar and fracture, every covenant I broke But there's something burning deeper than the blaze that tried to ruin me A quiet, stubborn ember that the darkness couldn't undo in me [Pre-Chorus - vocal building, piano only] I don't need perfect ground to stand on Just enough resistance in the earth Every wall that rose to stop me Only proved my worth [Chorus - full lead vocal belt, piano only, no choir yet] Like a phoenix I rose from the ashes Through the fire I carved my way Like a phoenix I rose from the ashes No more running, no more chains Every flame that tried to consume me Only fortified what flows through my veins Like a phoenix I rose I rose from the ashes And I'll never be the same [Verse 2 - solo piano and lead vocal only, dry and intimate] I don't search for what comes easy, I don't plead for open doors I fix my gaze on the horizon and I walk through every storm There's a version of me waiting past the threshold of my suffering Sovereign, clear, and undefeated she's the one I'm ascending to [Pre-Chorus - vocal building, piano only] I don't need the storm to silence Just the nerve to face the gale Every time the ground dissolved beneath me I rewrote the trail [Chorus - full lead vocal belt, piano only, no choir yet] Like a phoenix I rose from the ashes Through the fire I carved my way Like a phoenix I rose from the ashes No more running, no more chains Every flame that tried to consume me Only fortified what flows through my veins Like a phoenix I rose I rose from the ashes And I'll never be the same [Bridge - gospel choir enters here, building under lead vocal, hand claps and organ swell] You can't seize what lives inside me You can't drown what learned to breathe I have traversed every shadow I have bent but I don't break Clarity becomes my armor Perseverance is my name Watch me turn the ash to kindling Watch me burn again [Final Chorus - full gospel choir and lead vocal together, biggest dynamic peak of song] Like a phoenix I rose from the ashes Through the fire I carved my way Like a phoenix I rose from the ashes No more running, no more chains Every flame that tried to consume me Only fortified what flows through my veins Like a phoenix I rose I rose from the ashes And I'll never be the same [Outro - choir hums/answers softly under lead vocal, fading to piano and voice alone] Still standing. Still breathing. Still here.
