The Weight We Choose — Ember of Midgard — Nordic Folk Rock

Lyrics [Verse 1] I learned no truth from an empty crown No road was straight when the walls came down But every word that I gave away Became a stone I would carry someday My father said, “Let your name be known By what you build when you stand alone” Not by the noise, not the praise you earn But by the bridges you never burn [Pre-Chorus] When the easy road is calling When the promise starts to bend I will plant my feet beneath me And remember who I am [Chorus – Male Lead + Huge Nordic Choir] We bear the weight we choose! We stand behind our word! When every voice says walk away We answer and are heard We bear the weight we choose! No chain and no command I give my word, I give my strength And on that word I stand [Verse 2] There will be days when the roof gives way When plans we trusted are swept away A frightened child, an ageing face May need our hands more than empty praise No ancient carving can make us strong If what we promise is proved wrong The measure lives in the things we do When no one watches to see us through [Pre-Chorus] When the easy road is calling When the promise starts to bend I will plant my feet beneath me And remember who I am [Chorus – Full Choir] We bear the weight we choose! We stand behind our word! When every voice says walk away We answer and are heard We bear the weight we choose! No chain and no command I give my word, I give my strength And on that word I stand [Instrumental Break] (Deep war-style folk drums without battle imagery, tagelharpa pulse, nyckelharpa melody, rising horns and melodic electric guitars) [Verse 3] One day the younger ones will ask What mattered most beneath the past Not what we owned, not what we claimed But who could trust us when they spoke our name So let them find in the tracks we leave A reason still to trust and believe That strength was more than a hardened hand It meant remaining where we chose to stand [Bridge – Male Lead, Choir Building] If I make a promise Let the promise have a cost If I hold another I will hold when hope feels lost If tomorrow asks me What I gave and what I knew I will say I carried The weight I chose to choose [Breakdown – Choir Chant] Hold your word! (Hold your word!) Hold your ground! (Hold your ground!) Be the one Still standing when they turn around! [Final Chorus – Massive Nordic Choir] WE BEAR THE WEIGHT WE CHOOSE! WE STAND BEHIND OUR WORD! When every voice says walk away We answer and are heard WE BEAR THE WEIGHT WE CHOOSE! No chain and no command I give my word, I give my strength AND ON THAT WORD I STAND! [Outro] Not for a crown Not for applause Not because anyone demands I gave my word I chose the weight And on that word I stand (Choir repeats) On that word we stand On that word we stand