[Intro] (low, distant, solemn; almost like a prayer) For the living… For the dead… For the dawn that has not come yet. [Verse 1] (quiet, controlled, close-mic) Mud on my boots, ash in my lungs, War in the mouths of very young tongues. The papers call it glory, the priests call it sin, But all I have seen is what crawls beneath skin. I was born in shadow, I was raised to discern, Yet it was my conscience that showed me what burns. [Pre-Chorus] (rising, restrained power) So ring the bell— Not for triumph, not for fame. Ring it once For every soul they could not name. [Chorus] (big, clear, anthemic, easy to sing along) Ring the bell, ring the bell, ring for the dawn, I will carry the night till the nightmare is gone. If they call me monster, I will still stand on— Ring the bell, ring the bell, ring for the dawn. Pray for peace, pray for peace, though my hands are worn, I will hold the line till a kinder world is born. Ring the bell, ring the bell, ring for the dawn. [Verse 2] (steady, heavier, emotional) There is no difference in shellfire and rain, Both fall from heaven and both leave a stain. I have seen the wicked hide under command, I have seen good men die by another man’s hand. And if blood marks the path that led me here, Then let my aim be steady, my purpose clear. [Pre-Chorus 2] (warmer, more personal) I still remember Soft rooms, candlelight, Paris dreams folded carefully Away from the night. [Chorus] (fuller, more emotional) Ring the bell, ring the bell, ring for the dawn, I will carry the night till the nightmare is gone. If they call me monster, I will still stand on— Ring the bell, ring the bell, ring for the dawn. Pray for peace, pray for peace, though my hands are worn, I will hold the line till a kinder world is born. Ring the bell, ring the bell, ring for the dawn. [Bridge] (drops down; intimate, almost spoken at first) Je prierai pour vous… And I will fire for you too. What is mercy, if not burden? What is peace, if no one bleeds to bring it through? (builds) One for the sake of the many, One more sin I choose to bear. Not because I love the violence— Because I cannot leave them there. [Final Chorus] (huge, soaring, with choir) Ring the bell, ring the bell, ring for the dawn, I will carry the night till the nightmare is gone. If they call me demon, I will still march on— Ring the bell, ring the bell, ring for the dawn. Pray for peace, pray for peace, let the dark be torn, I will bear the blame until the better day is born. Ring the bell, ring the bell, ring for the dawn— For the lost, for the loved, for the coming morn. [Outro] (soft, fading, sacred) The bell still sounds… Not for victory. For peace.
