[Verse 1] Built the mountain stone by stone Let them bleed so mine could stand She slipped away before the dawn Left me holding what I don't understand Grey replaces gold, slow and sure Scars like medals no one sees Kings don't kneel, don't ask for more Just carry what they'll never release [Chorus] The long game plays itself Patience sharpens every knife Sixty winters, still the cold Wonders if the summit's worth the climb Pour the dark wine, sit alone Let the silence settle deep Empires rise on ash and bone But the builders never sleep [Verse 2] There's a shadow at my shoulder Never asks, just holds the line Trust is currency, growing older Means knowing who won't waste your time Then you walked into the wreckage Steady when the chaos came Didn't flinch, didn't need the leverage Just moved like bleeding's all the same [Chorus] The long game plays itself Patience sharpens every knife Sixty winters, still the cold Wonders if the summit's worth the climb Pour the dark wine, sit alone Let the silence settle deep Empires rise on ash and bone But the builders never sleep [Bridge - Instrumental] [Cello and violin interweaving, mournful but dignified, rising tension then release] [Outro] Word becomes law, stone becomes throne Legacy etched in what remains Before the fire claims its own Maybe warmth was worth the flames [Fade out on solo piano, sustained notes dissolving]
