Verse 1 [Male 1] The halls descend in spirals of brass and steam Hammers echo like distant thunder in a dream My fingers find the strings to steady the air But the notes linger, vibrating where they shouldn’t dare [Switch to Female 1] The Vanguard presses on, boots ringing on the grate Yet every step seems to make the forges hesitate Chorus [Male 1 with layered harmonies] The forge’s quiet grind leans in to hear our song Machines hum back in rhythms that feel wrong The bass of the earth answers every note we play We are not alone in this mechanical day Verse 2 [Male 1] The golem’s joints click in time with the low drone The tinker-lord’s eyes narrow as the walls begin to moan My didgeridoo rumbles deep, shaking dust from the beams And somewhere below, something larger stirs in its dreams [Switch to Female 1] The pirate grips her maps, the artificer’s hands shake The air grows thick with a hum we cannot break Chorus [Male 1 with fuller harmonies] The forge’s quiet grind leans in to hear our song Machines hum back in rhythms that feel wrong No silence here is empty, no echo left to chance The curse has found new teeth in this iron dance Bridge [Male 1] I feel it watching now, the gaze without a face The engines remember every failed, desperate race The guilt from before mixes with this new, cold fear The forges are listening, and they are drawing near [Switch to Female 1] We press deeper still, the grind growing loud The Vanguard stands firm, but the doubt is a cloud Chorus [Male 1 with all voices swelling] The forge’s quiet grind leans in to hear our song Machines hum back in rhythms that feel wrong We sing to survive, but the metal sings back In whispers of steam and the threat of attack
