[Intro – dark piano chords, low strings, slow build] Cm – Eb – Bb – Ab [Verse 1 – smoky, restrained, close-mic'd] Cm Eb You said the storm would never find our door, Bb Ab Then I watched you leave me standing on the floor, Cm Eb Every promise folded like a paper boat, Bb Ab Set it on the water, watched it slowly float. [Verse 2] Cm Eb I kept your shirt, I kept your favorite song, Bb Ab Told myself that nothing here was wrong, Cm Eb But the walls know the truth that I deny, Bb Ab They hold the echo of your last goodbye. [Pre-Chorus – tension rising, toms enter] Fm Ab And I tried to be quiet, I tried to be strong, Eb G But the heart keeps burning when it knows it's wrong. [Chorus – full band, belting, raw] Cm Ab So here I stand with matches in the flood, Eb Bb Striking every spark through the rain and the mud, Cm Ab You can drown me, you can leave me in the cold, Fm G But I'll burn brighter than the stories you told. [Verse 3 – stripped back, bitter] Cm Eb Your name still tastes like smoke on my tongue, Bb Ab Every lullaby we never sung, Cm Eb I'm done with the ghosts in the hallway light, Bb Ab Done with the silence I rehearse each night. [Pre-Chorus] Fm Ab And I tried to be quiet, I tried to be strong, Eb G But the heart keeps burning when it knows it's wrong. [Chorus – bigger, voice cracking on the high note] Cm Ab So here I stand with matches in the flood, Eb Bb Striking every spark through the rain and the mud, Cm Ab You can drown me, you can leave me in the cold, Fm G But I'll burn brighter than the stories you told. [Bridge – voice almost alone, then building] Ab Eb Let the thunder call my name, Bb Cm I won't flinch, I won't be tame, Ab Eb If the sky wants to fall on me, Bb G I'll light the dark and I'll be free. [Final Chorus – explosive, strings at maximum, ad-libs] Cm Ab So here I stand with matches in the flood, Eb Bb Striking every spark through the rain and the mud, Cm Ab You can drown me, you can leave me in the cold, Fm G Cm But I'll burn brighter... and I'm letting go. [Outro – piano alone, whispered, fading] Cm – Ab – Eb – Bb – Cm (burning... in the rain)
