[Verse 1] Ash on his cloak Dust on that crooked staff Golden skin in the torchlight Every breath a laugh at the past Once just a cough in the corner Thin as a shadow on stone Studying storms in a teacup Swearing he’d carve out a throne [Chorus] Hourglass eyes Watching empires fall like sand Every grain another price he planned Hourglass eyes Soft voice Terrible designs Whispering power between the lines Hourglass eyes [Verse 2] Robes black as a closed book Pages burned into his hands Names of the dead on his tongue tip Old gods stitched into his plans Brother’s faith like a bright shield Held between him and the night He only trusted the pattern Not the promise of the light [Chorus] [Bridge] [low vocal register] Weak lungs Strong will He learned to bend the fever to his side He looked the future in the face And watched it die [whispered vocals] If the world must break Let it break by my design I won’t be the boy Who coughs and waits in line [crescendo] So he bargains with the darkness Like a lawyer made of bone Choosing crowns over comfort Choosing knowledge over home In a shattered silver dragon In a tower cut from flame He stands alone Unblinking Daring destiny by name [Chorus]
