We Were Kings

[Intro - 4 bars, hollow guitar, no vocal] [Verse 1 - close clean male, cracked, no scream] I learned to live without a name A thing the street could throw away Every stare cut another wire Till there was nothing left to save Then somebody didn't look away And I remembered I was warm [Chorus - big clean anthem, stacked, no scream] We were fire, we were kings Laughing loud on broken wings Roads endless, nights on fire Brother, you made me feel alive [Verse 2 - clean, quieter, same line weight] I keep a room that still expects you A laugh that doesn't have a mouth The good years sit like borrowed heat Too bright to hold, too cruel to drop If brotherhood can leave a ghost Mine is standing in the hall [Chorus - same melody, thinner] We were fire, we were kings Laughing loud on broken wings Roads endless, nights on fire Brother, you made me feel alive [Bridge - clean, tight throat] I know that look It's already gone Something in me Starts locking shut [Breakdown - harsh shouted male, only place that yells] Gears grind, I go cold I go mek, no heart Just wreck, just steel Burn it down, feel nothing [Outro - clean vocal winding down, slowing, fading like standby] Rage crashes, circuits freeze darkness swallows, no more scream mek dormant, lights go black empty husk… never coming back