Dragged Through the Veins of Hell

[Intro – Spoken in a rasping whisper over low cello drones and distant thunder] The gates... they never closed. They only waited. [Verse 1 – Gritty half-spoken vocals, palm-muted grunge guitars] Black iron fingers bite my wrists Cold as the kiss of Judas lips They pull me down where light forgot its name Stone corridors that breathe my shame Rats wear crowns of funeral lace Whispers crawl across my face Every echo is a debt I owe For sins I barely even know [Pre-Chorus – Rising tension, symphonic strings swell] The air is thick with sulfur rain My shadow screams and breaks its chain [Chorus – Full symphonic explosion: crushing guitars, choir, pounding drums] DRAGGED! Through the dungeons of the underworld SCREAMING! Where the lost forever burn BROKEN! On the altar of the never-born I am the wretch, I am the thorn DRAGGED! Deeper, deeper, no return [Verse 2 – Heavier, dirtier grunge riff, lower growled vocals] Cobwebs dress the bones of kings Forgotten gods on rusted wings They watch me crawl through rivers red Where every tear becomes the dead Lovers twist in carnal stone Their pleasure screams eternal moan I see my face in every wall A thousand versions of my fall [Pre-Chorus – Even bigger orchestral lift] The darkness knows my secret name It calls it softly, calls it pain [Chorus – Even larger, layered choirs and screaming guitars] DRAGGED! Through the dungeons of the underworld BLEEDING! Where the holy banners burn CURSED! In the kingdom of the never-born I wear the crown, I wear the thorn DRAGGED! Deeper, deeper, no return [Bridge – Spoken/sung over stripped-back piano and distant industrial percussion] Is this punishment or home? Am I the prisoner or the throne? Every chain that cuts my skin Feels like it’s always been within… [Breakdown – Grunge sludge, slow chugging riffs, guttural vocals] I… AM… THE… DUNGEON! I… AM… THE… CHAIN! I… AM… THE SCREAM THAT NEVER FADES! [Symphonic Climax – Massive orchestral swell, choir in Latin-style chants mixed with anguished cries] In tenebris trahor… aeternum… aeternum… Dragged through the veins of Hell I flow The river of the ones who know That mercy died a long time ago [Final Chorus – Everything at full power, then sudden drop] DRAGGED! Through the dungeons of the underworld RAGING! As my humanity burns ETERNAL! In the empire of the never-born I am the king, I am the scorn DRAGGED… [Outro – Fading into single distorted guitar and dying choir, whispered] They never let you go… They only let you think you’re home… Dragged… Dragged… Forever…