If Nothing Had To Die

[Verse 1] The grass goes pale beneath my step I didn't mean to take it Just walking through, just passing through And still the world starts breaking A flower folds, a branch goes dim I never asked it to I've never had to ask for much The taking's just what I do [Pre-Chorus] Find it. Take it. Turn it into me. That's the only song I know The only way I learned to breathe [Chorus] If nothing had to die for me Would there still be magic in me? If I gave back every borrowed pulse Would there be a single light left in the dark? Would I stay, or would I disappear? Tell me there's a version of me that isn't just what I take from here [Verse 2] Where I grew up, the ground was already grieving Power just laid there, waiting, easy I never had to wonder where it came from It was air, it was blood, it was hunger Nobody taught me to ask permission Nobody taught me another way in So I learned the only trick I had— Find it, take it, make it mine, and hope that isn't bad [Pre-Chorus] Find it. Take it. Turn it into me. That's the only song I know The only way I learned to breathe [Chorus] If nothing had to die for me Would there still be magic in me? If I gave back every borrowed pulse Would there be a single light left in the dark? Would I stay, or would I disappear? Tell me there's a version of me that isn't just what I take from here [Bridge] He says he can just... reach in Feel the world breathing, and it breathes him back I press my hand against the same old bark And all I feel is what I could extract Is that what an answer is? Is that how it sounds? The forest isn't silent— It's just answering the only way I ever taught it how Every moth, every shadow at my heel Is the world trying to tell me something real I just don't know the language I only know how to steal [Final Chorus — softer, unraveling] If nothing had to die for me I don't know what would be left of me I haven't heard a no The question's still unfolding I'm still learning what to hold [Outro] Something moves just past the leaves Not quite an answer Not asking me to leave Was it them? Was it me? Or only a shadow Of everything I need to believe? ...still walking.