When the Crown Begins to Listen

Verse 1 [Male 1] The inner chamber opens like a wound in the gold The Crown floats in light that feels too cold We step forward with the relic in our hands But the air grows thick with names from distant lands [Switch to Female 1] The ritual circle glows with borrowed, ancient fire Our voices falter as the walls begin to tire Chorus [Male 1 with layered harmonies] When the crown begins to listen, the watch has found its throne Every breath we take is measured and is known The sands have waited through the ice, the roots, the gears And now they lean in close to claim what we hold dear Verse 2 [Male 1] The first word spoken makes the gold begin to shift The Crown pulses wrong, the light starts to drift My fingers find the strings to steady what we do But the notes come back twisted, and the chamber answers too [Switch to Female 1] The party freezes, eyes wide in the golden glare The realization hits like cold desert air Chorus [Male 1 with fuller harmonies] When the crown begins to listen, the watch has found its throne Every breath we take is measured and is known No ritual stays ours in this gilded, listening grave The curse has been listening since before we came Bridge [Male 1] I feel it now, the thread that runs through every fall The wyrm, the blight, the engine, and now this ancient call The guilt sharpens into something cold and clear We walked into the heart, and the heart was always here [Switch to Female 1] The ritual cracks open, the glow turns cold and red The pharaoh’s name awakens in the words we said Chorus [Male 1 with all voices swelling] When the crown begins to listen, the watch has found its throne Every breath we take is measured and is known We came to break the cycle, but the cycle knows our song And the crown has been listening all along