Charm and Shadow

[Verse 1] He come stride through the cobbled lane, Like a midnight lord in a cloak of rain, Brogues so polished and a cap pulled tight, Smellin’ of oakwood smoke and a London night. [Pre-Chorus] Whispers say he waltz with the fog by the mill, Murmurs in riddles when the pint glass spill… [Chorus] He’s a fox in church pews, Sunday sharp with a rebel’s moves, Got the village hummin’ low and neat, Every step lands like a drumbeat. He don’t talk much, but bruv, when he do — He just smirk… and the whole street knew. [Verse 2] I was swayin’ by the tavern, pint in hand, When he tipped his brim — said, “You understand?” Pulled me close with a poet’s grace, But his eyes held storms from another place. Said he’d been runnin’ from ghosts in the past, But the moorland don’t forget — shadows hold fast. [Bridge] He wore a charm ‘round his neck on a chain, Said it keep the good close, keep the wicked in pain. By the hedgerow fire, he etched my name, Then vanished like mist when the dawnlight came. [Final Chorus] He’s a fox in church pews, Left me dancin’ in the old-world blues, Got the valley hummin’ steady and slow, Where the willows lean and the night winds blow. He don’t talk much — just smirks and fades — But I still wear the mark that his moonlight made. [Outro – Spoken/Whisper] Charm keep ya safe, but the heart still know… He come, he go — like river, like woe. He come, he go — like river, like woe. [Chorus] He’s a fox in church pews, Sunday sharp with a rebel’s moves, Got the village hummin’ low and neat, Every step lands like a drumbeat. He don’t talk much, but bruv, when he do — He just smirk… and the whole street knew.