10. The Right Hand Still Lives — Lexmilian de Mello

[BEGIN SUNO LYRICS] [Intro - low piano, distant metal] Bam, rocket-bam, Night at the door. A face made of sand On the cold hallway floor. [Verse 1] I saw the ghost where the doormat lay, Some critter of dust with a mouth of clay. The room grew thin, the windows breathed, Shadows patrolled what the dark believed. A wooden chest with my name in grain, A coffin too far for a living pain. The voice said disclose or be carried below, Into the box where the lost ones go. [Pre-Chorus] Cut off your hand, or enter the night, Trade your own self for a counterfeit light. But the knife fell down when the white beam came, And fear stood trembling without a name. [Chorus] The right hand still lives, The right hand still lives. I did not climb in, I did not give. The shadows may circle, The coffin may call, But the right hand still lives And I am not gone. [Verse 2] Demons on balconies, feet in the grate, Prayer in my mouth at the edge of fate. I feared the suffering, I feared the grave, But fear is not lord of the life God gave. Better a wounded fool still whole Than a silent body with a stolen soul. [END SUNO LYRICS] [BEGIN SUNO LYRICS] [Extension 1 - drums deepen] [Verse 3] They speak of altruism, sacrifice, shame, How much of the self must be fed to the flame? I gave up doors so another could stand, Then wandered the years with an empty hand. Was I selfish because I wished to live? Was I guilty for what I could not give? Benevolence needs a boundary line, Or wolves wear halos and call it divine. [Call and Response] Lead: Should I enter the chest? Choir: No, keep breathing. Lead: Should I bury the hand? Choir: No, keep reaching. Lead: Should I answer the dark? Choir: Answer with light. Lead: What remains in the room? Choir: Justice tonight. [Bridge] Poverty dripped like a broken shower, One drop counting every powerless hour. Mother in sorrow, walls without cheer, The medieval ache of another year. Universities, doors, and a life derailed, Friends not gathered when the spirit failed. Yet under the dust and the dread and the scars, A pulse kept time with the hidden stars. [Chorus] The right hand still lives, The right hand still lives. I did not climb in, I did not give. [Intro - low piano, distant metal] Bam, rocket-bam, Night at the door. A face made of sand On the cold hallway floor. [Verse 1] I saw the ghost where the doormat lay, Some critter of dust with a mouth of clay. The room grew thin, the windows breathed, Shadows patrolled what the dark believed. A wooden chest with my name in grain, A coffin too far for a living pain. The voice said disclose or be carried below, Into the box where the lost ones go. [Pre-Chorus] Cut off your hand, or enter the night, Trade your own self for a counterfeit light. But the knife fell down when the white beam came, And fear stood trembling without a name. [Chorus] The right hand still lives, The right hand still lives. I did not climb in, I did not give. The shadows may circle, The coffin may call, But the right hand still lives And I am not gone. [Verse 2] Demons on balconies, feet in the grate, Prayer in my mouth at the edge of fate. I feared the suffering, I feared the grave, [BEGIN SUNO LYRICS] [Extension 2 - redemptive final] [Verse 4] If I have lost days fixing the broken, If half of my truth is still unspoken, If the world saw nothing, if the media slept, If the fairies mocked and the shadows crept, Still I rise from the hallway floor, Still I lock the coffin door. Still I pray through the choking air, Still my hand lifts into prayer. [Final Chorus - gospel choir] The right hand still lives, The right hand still lives. I did not climb in, I did not give. The shadows may circle, The coffin may call, But the right hand still lives And I am not gone. [Outro - repeated survival hook] I live, I live, By mercy I live. I breathe, I stand, With justice in my hand. I live, I live, The night did not win. The coffin stays empty, The dawn enters in. The right hand still lives. The right hand still lives. [END SUNO LYRICS]