The Ash and the Ember

VERSE 1 Woke up when the sun was halfway gone, baby. Pulled the shades tight on this lonely dawn. Yeah, I got the taste of stale dust on my tongue, sweet lord. My clock is broke, my life is adjourned. And every damn day is just a hole to climb out of, But there ain’t no light outside I wanna see. So I wait for the dark to come and drag me back down, honey, ‘Cause the dark is the only place I can finally be me. CHORUS Oh, that fire, it’s the only preacher I listen to! Gotta chase the ash down till the morning lets me through! Roll me up a prayer, baby, watch the damn paper burn slow. I'm a lost soul writing gospel where the cold wind blows! Yeah, I need that smoke like I need the breath in my chest! It’s the only damn comfort I can ever confess! VERSE 2 I got an ink stain on my tired, weary thumb, yeah! Scribblin’ down the poison where the good times come. Yeah, I’m tearing up pages from the backs of old books, Tryin’ to make sense of the dirty looks That I been gettin’ from the ceiling and the walls, Hearin’ whispers of the promises I broke in the falls. I keep that sweet green wisdom rolled up in my hand, ‘Cause this fire, baby, it’s my only promised land! It’s the only damn thing that don't criticize the mess I made! Light me up, light me up, before the damn light fades! BRIDGE Oh, they say you gotta pay the toll for salvation! Well, I gave them every damn piece of my soul! I handed it over shattered and wrapped up in chains! But the devil's got the lease on the floor where I sleep! And the truth that I seek, baby, it’s just the secrets I keep! I been runnin’ since the cradle, runnin’ from the sun, Knowin’ deep down that my race ain't ever won! I’m just a broken woman with a pen and a flame! Callin’ out loud, baby, screaming out my own name! (Spoken, raw, almost a shout over the music): Can anybody hear the hell I’m in?! Huh?! Can anybody hear me screamin’ through the smoke?! I got nothin’ left, baby! Nothin’ at all! Just the ash and the ember! CHORUS Oh, that fire, it’s the only preacher I listen to! Gotta chase the ash down till the morning lets me through! Roll me up a prayer, honey, watch the damn paper burn slow! I'm a lost soul writing gospel where the cold wind blows! Yeah, I need that smoke like I need the breath in my chest! It’s the only damn comfort! (It’s the best I can get!) OUTRO Roll it! Burn it! Keep those pages turnin’... (Sustained, tearing vocal wail) Gotta write away the dark, baby! Gotta write away the shame! Oh, that fire, fire, fire... keeps callin' my name!