The Brand

A fast-paced dark folk epic in minor key, driven by acoustic guitars, deep brass bass, hand percussion, Male and female singers alternate verses, weaving together in powerful choruses with crowd vocals and monk-like chants, Gothic-gypsy flavor; the choruses swell with layered voices, and instrumental sections expand with urgent brass

[Verse 2]
I cried for my kin, but none could hear,
The silence fell sharp as they drew me near.
I reached for the hands I loved that day,
But the lash tore my fingers, and drove them away.
They stripped me bare, they bound me tight,
They laughed as I begged through the endless night.
What once was mine was torn apart,
They branded my flesh, they branded my heart.

[Chorus]
This is my name! Burned into skin!
The mark of the chain, the brand of sin.
It sears through the flesh, it cuts through the bone,
It says I am nothing, I’ll never be known.
This is my name! Carved into me!
The scar of a world that calls itself free.
The brand is forever, the mark is the key,
You carry the shame but the shame is not me.

[Verse 3]
They gave me a name that was never mine,
A word on their tongue, a curse in time.
They spoke it like law, they wrote it in ink,
They fed me their poison, they made me drink.
The cage was my world, the bars my sky,
They sold me cheap while the crowd walked by.
A number, a trinket, a beast to trade,
A life erased for the coin they made.

[Verse 4]
The hammer rang loud, the markets roared,
The master’s voice was the only word.
They pointed and bargained, they weighed my chest,
They prodded my arms and mocked the rest.
The gavel fell sharp, the bargain was sealed,
My fate was a number, my worth revealed.
The door slammed shut, the road was long,
They broke my back, but they sang their song.

[Verse 5]
The fields are wide, but the chains are near,
The overseer’s voice is the only I hear.
The lash keeps time, the sun burns down,
My sweat builds cities, my blood builds crowns.
And yet in the dark, when I lie awake,
I dream of the world they could not take.
Of hills and rivers, of fire and song,
Of a name I carried before it was gone.

[Final Chorus]
This is my name! Burned into skin!
The mark of the chain, the brand of sin.
It sears through the flesh, it cuts through the bone,
It says I am nothing, I’ll never be known.
This is my name! Carved into me!
The scar of a world that calls itself free.
The brand is forever, the mark is the key,
You carry the shame but the shame is not me.

[Outro] 
I was free…
But now I am sold.
You burned your mark…
But you’ll never own my soul.

Yes a brand is forever, the mark is the key, (This is my name! Burned into skin!) 
So carry the shame but the shame is not me. (This is my name! Burned into skin!)

It says I am nothing, I’ll never be known. (This is my name!)
It says I am nothing, I’ll never be known. (Burned into skin!)

This is my name! Burned into skin!
The mark of the chain, the brand of sin.
It sears through the flesh, it cuts through the bone,
It says I am nothing, I’ll never be known.

This is my name! Carved into me!
The scar of a world that calls itself free.
The brand is forever, the mark is the key,
You carry the shame but the shame is not me.

3562/7500

[Verse 1] I walked out free where the wild winds blow, Where the rivers sang and the green fields grow. I hunted my food, I slept by the flame, I answered to no lord, I carried no name. But the riders came fast with their nets and steel, The chains bit deep, the wounds won’t heal. They dragged me from the hills I’d known, And cast me in darkness, far from home. [Verse 2] I cried for my kin, but none could hear, The silence fell sharp as they drew me near. I reached for the hands I loved that day, But the lash tore my fingers, and drove them away. They stripped me bare, they bound me tight, They laughed as I begged through the endless night. What once was mine was torn apart, They branded my flesh, they branded my heart. [Chorus] This is my name! Burned into skin! The mark of the chain, the brand of sin. It sears through the flesh, it cuts through the bone, It says I am nothing, I’ll never be known. This is my name! Carved into me! The scar of a world that calls itself free. The brand is forever, the mark is the key, You carry the shame but the shame is not me. [Verse 3] They gave me a name that was never mine, A word on their tongue, a curse in time. They spoke it like law, they wrote it in ink, They fed me their poison, they made me drink. The cage was my world, the bars my sky, They sold me cheap while the crowd walked by. A number, a trinket, a beast to trade, A life erased for the coin they made. [Verse 4] The hammer rang loud, the markets roared, The master’s voice was the only word. They pointed and bargained, they weighed my chest, They prodded my arms and mocked the rest. The gavel fell sharp, the bargain was sealed, My fate was a number, my worth revealed. The door slammed shut, the road was long, They broke my back, but they sang their song. [Chorus] This is my name! Burned into skin! The mark of the chain, the brand of sin. It sears through the flesh, it cuts through the bone, It says I am nothing, I’ll never be known. This is my name! Carved into me! The scar of a world that calls itself free. The brand is forever, the mark is the key, You carry the shame but the shame is not me. [Verse 5] The fields are wide, but the chains are near, The overseer’s voice is the only I hear. The lash keeps time, the sun burns down, My sweat builds cities, my blood builds crowns. And yet in the dark, when I lie awake, I dream of the world they could not take. Of hills and rivers, of fire and song, Of a name I carried before it was gone. [Final Chorus] This is my name! Burned into skin! The mark of the chain, the brand of sin. It sears through the flesh, it cuts through the bone, It says I am nothing, I’ll never be known. This is my name! Carved into me! The scar of a world that calls itself free. The brand is forever, the mark is the key, You carry the shame but the shame is not me. [Outro] I was free… But now I am sold. You burned your mark… But you’ll never own my soul. Yes a brand is forever, the mark is the key, (This is my name! Burned into skin!) So carry the shame but the shame is not me. (This is my name! Burned into skin!) It says I am nothing, I’ll never be known. (This is my name!) It says I am nothing, I’ll never be known. (Burned into skin!) This is my name! Burned into skin! The mark of the chain, the brand of sin. It sears through the flesh, it cuts through the bone, It says I am nothing, I’ll never be known. This is my name! Carved into me! The scar of a world that calls itself free. The brand is forever, the mark is the key, You carry the shame but the shame is not me.

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