Guard the Flame

[Intro] Ash on the cedar, salt on the stone, Twelve fires answer the mountain alone. [Verse 1: Shaman tenor] At the eastern gate, I carry no crown, Just a clay-sealed vow from the river town. You marked each mile where the old roads bend, I kept your name when the walls gave in. The bronze was cold, but the hands were sure, The night ran long; the oath endured. From Sippar’s dust to the cedar line, We held the measure, we held the sign. [Chorus: Female alto and choir] Hold the iron, guard the flame, Call the scattered by their names. When the seventh doorway parts, Let the living lead with heart. [Verse 2: Female alto] You drew a small sun on a shard of clay, Said, “Keep this safe till the fear gives way.” I wore it close through the winter rain, A little round promise against the strain. No throne can shelter the ones who flee; A steady hand is a kingdom to me. So take my lamp; I’ll walk beside you, Past the broken arch, where the dawn comes through. [Verse 3: Technical rap] Count the carved marks, track the caravan, dust in the teeth and a seal in the palm, Ledger of losses, the names that we carried, the hush in the hall before anyone’s psalm. Step by the step, let the measured feet answer; a drum at the ridge makes the far valley turn, No borrowed glory, no hollow command—only bread for the weary and shelter to earn. You kept the record when scribes went missing, you split the last water and gave me the cup, Now every gate that was barred from the inside swings wide as the people come up. Fast with the syllables, grounded in witness, each line tied tight to the truth we defend, I won’t make a myth of the ones who were frightened; I’ll tell how they stood for a friend. [Chorus: Female alto and choir] Hold the iron, guard the flame, Call the scattered by their names. When the seventh doorway parts, Let the living lead with heart. [Verse 4: Baritone] The old wall cracks; the first birds rise, Red dust settles beneath clear skies. You set the seal where the roots take hold, Not for a king, but the young and old. We leave no child to the road alone, We make a home from the stones we own. [Bridge: Choir and solo voices] A voice from the valley, a voice from the height, A hand on the shoulder, a lamp through the night. Let the names be remembered; let the proud lay down arms, Let the doors open outward; let the grain fill the barns. [Final Chorus: Full choir] Hold the iron, guard the flame, Call the scattered by their names. When the seventh doorway parts, Let the living lead with heart. Hold the iron, guard the flame, Every road can rise again. From the river to the mountain pass, We keep the promise; we make it last. [Outro] Ash to earth and seed to rain, We will meet beneath the dawn again.