[Intro] (Guitar loop alone) (Footsteps through leaves) (Distant traffic slowly appears) [Verse 1] I left my sins where the river bends Left my fear with the roots and the red-capped friend Mary walked me to the edge of the trees Said the world still bites but you still can breathe I saw the skyline bleeding gold Same old road but it didn't feel cold Had dirt on my boots and smoke in my lungs Had a softer name for the man I was [Pre-Chorus] Slow down Step light Carry mercy Into daylight [Chorus] I'm going back to the world But the world don't own me I still hear the river When the streets get lonely I'm going back with my hands still dirty But my heart ain't buried in the ground If the noise comes for me I'll slow it down [Instrumental Break] (Wah guitar lead) (Looped vocal hums) (Bass grows heavier) [Verse 2] I don't need to be clean like a polished stone I don't need to face every ghost alone Amanita took what I couldn't name Mary Jane taught me to sit with the flame Now the preacher's voice don't shake my bones And the mirror don't feel like a house of stones I got scars that speak I got roots that know I got grace moving low where the mycelium grows [Pre-Chorus] Slow down Breathe right Carry mercy Into daylight [Chorus] I'm going back to the world But the world don't own me I still hear the river When the streets get lonely I'm going back with my hands still dirty But my heart ain't buried in the ground If the noise comes for me I'll slow it down [Extended Guitar Solo] (Heavy bass groove) (Delay guitar climbs) (Beatbox loop thickens) (Vocal ad-libs underneath) [Bridge] No halo No throne No angel made of bone Just a man Still afraid Learning how to stay No holy No clean No perfect in between Just the roots Just the sound Just the breath coming down [Final Chorus] I'm going back to the world But the world don't own me I still hear the river When the streets get lonely I'm going back with my hands still dirty But my heart ain't buried in the ground If the noise comes for me I'll slow it down [Outro] (Guitar loop fades) (Distant traffic becomes rain) Slow it down Slow it down I can carry mercy now
