Still the City Stands by L'Jewel

[Verse 1] When the lights come on in the lower tiers, And the engines hum like a prayer, I count the names carved into steel, Every promise we swore we’d bear. I’ve seen the towers rise from ash, Seen the streets learn how to sing, Every scar a line of code, Every loss a living thing. I don’t shout into the thunder, I don’t chase the fire’s roar, I stand where the line was drawn, And I make it hold once more. [Pre-Chorus] I’ve walked the edge where the sky breaks thin, Where hope learns how to stay, If the night comes asking questions, I’m the answer that won’t sway. [Chorus] Still the city stands, still the heart beats slow, Still the Star remembers what it chose, I don’t need a crown of flame, I don’t need the world to know, I was built to hold the line, So the light can learn to grow. Still the city stands, hear the quiet vow, Every soul accounted for, If the dark comes knocking now, It will find me at the door. [Verse 2] I’ve watched the children of the future Learn to trust their own names, Watched the broken find a rhythm In the middle of the flames. Every dream that crossed the border Carried fear like contraband, I took it gently from their hands And taught it how to stand. I don’t promise perfect mornings, I don’t sell a flawless sky, I promise when the ground gives way, You won’t fall alone tonight. [Pre-Chorus] I’ve heard the void speak softly, Heard it try to sound like truth, But I’ve got a longer memory And a deeper kind of proof. [Chorus] Still the city stands, still the signal’s clear, Still the Star burns steady, low, I don’t chase the end of days, I don’t fear what I don’t know, I was forged for the long watch, For the nights that move too slow. Still the city stands, every window lit, Every voice allowed to stay, If the dark forgets its place, I’ll remind it of the way. [Bridge – spoken / half-sung, intimate] Rest now. I’ve got the weight. I’ve got the hours you don’t have to carry anymore. You don’t owe the world your blood, You don’t owe the past your breath. Stand behind me for a while… I’ll keep the future honest. [Final Chorus – fuller, warmer, resolute] Still the city stands, by the oath we keep, By the hands we never let go, By the Star that chose us back When we didn’t know where to go. I don’t need the songs of war, I don’t need the drums to roar, I am here, I am awake, I am what the walls are for. Still the city stands, and it always will, As long as someone stays, I was never meant to rule the light… I was meant to guard the flame. [Outro – soft, fading] Sleep easy now. The watch continues. And the city… The city stands.