Watch the Rooflines (Celene)

[Intro, low, gravelly, almost spoken] Six Towers don’t sleep. It listens. And I listen back. [Verse 1, rough, steady] I know these roofs, I know these stones, The broken glass, the chimney bones, The windows lit by fear at night, The doors that shake but still hold tight. Some pay me coin to watch their walls, Their warehouses, their iron halls, But I’ve got eyes for more than that— For hungry kids and alley rats. I’ve seen the rich lock up their bread, Seen good men freeze in borrowed thread, Seen women hide their bruises deep, Seen mothers lie so children sleep. [Pre-Chorus, rising, stern] Life don’t bend, life don’t care, It’ll leave you cold and call it fair, But one good hand in the dark somewhere Can keep a soul from despair. [Chorus, big, rough, singable] So I watch the rooflines, watch the rain, Watch who’s bleeding, who’s in pain, Watch the cruel and watch the kind, Watch the hands that come behind. If you deserve a door held wide, I’ll stand my post, I won’t step aside, And while I breathe in this blackened town, No easy prey gets hunted down. [Verse 2, more forceful] Sometimes help means quiet shoes, A hidden stair, a better route, A lantern dimmed, a blanket spread, A place to put a frightened head. Sometimes help means splitting teeth, A club brought down with righteous grief, ’Cause greedy hands don’t learn from prayer, Some devils only heed despair. I’ve tucked away small shivering bones, Kept children out of banker homes, Out from fists and silk-gloved lies, Out from buyers with polished eyes. [Pre-Chorus, stronger] I don’t ask blood, I don’t ask name, Don’t ask your class or where you came, If you need shelter from the flame, Then to me it’s all the same. [Chorus, louder, harder] So I watch the rooflines, watch the rain, Watch who’s standing, who’s been chained, Watch the cruel and watch the kind, Watch the wolves that stalk behind. If you deserve a hand tonight, I’ll be the dark that holds the light, And while I breathe in this blackened town, No easy prey gets hunted down. [Bridge, stripped back, emotional, raw] I ain’t a saint, Ain’t soft, ain’t clean, I’ve cracked a jaw To keep folk breathing. I’ve taken coin, And thank the pay, But some debts ain’t counted That kind of way. And every friend I’ve found worth keeping Started with one soul not leaving. One hand held out. One night survived. That’s how the dead stay off the living side. [Breakdown, half-spoken, intense] You want justice? Try staying awake. Try knowing which door to guard, Which lie to break. Try telling a starving child The world is fair. No— You give what you can. You stand where you’re needed. And you dare. [Final Chorus, huge, anthemic] So I watch the rooflines, watch the rain, Watch this city grind its chains, Watch for those with nowhere left, Watch for hunger, watch for theft. And if I’ve got one hand to spare, Then someone’s getting lifted there, ’Cause while I breathe in this blackened town, The ones I can save won’t all go down. [Outro, low, tired, warm] Six Towers, keep your eyes open. I’m still here. Still listening. Still watching the rooflines.