[Intro — low, heavy, almost spoken] I was not born soft. I was not raised kind. But I found something in the dark worth keeping. And now? Now I bite for mine. [Verse 1 — rough, steady, controlled] My mother taught me how to break a jaw, How to hold a room in a deathly pause, How to win a fight before fists fly, With one cold stare and a promise in my eyes. She said, “Boy, the world don’t spare your kind, So stand like iron, keep your teeth behind, And when they push, you push them through— Make fear itself learn the shape of you.” [Pre-Chorus — rising, grim] I wore that lesson like a second skin, A black-mouth prayer and a steady grin, Till the road ran long and the lights burned low, And I found a nest in the teeth of the smoke. [Chorus — huge, powerful, loyal] Black feathers, iron heart, I found my home in the broken dark, Found my people in the ash and stone, And I’ll tear this whole damned city to the bone Before I let them fall. Before I let them bleed. I was made for war, But now I know what I defend. Black feathers, iron heart— Touch my own, And I’ll finish what you start. [Verse 2 — harder, more personal] I was meant to wear the Bluecoat blue, Till they looked at my blood and decided what was true, Saw the ash in my skin, the wrong in my face, And shut that door with a smile full of grace. So I bled in pits and I worked back rooms, Took coin to break and to darken rooms, Learned who pays and who folds and lies, Learned there’s always hunger behind nice eyes. Then I found a gang of half-starved crows, Sharp little thieves with nowhere to go, And they gave me more than a fist or a name— They gave me a place in the rain. [Pre-Chorus — heavier, more emotional] Not by blood. Not by law. By the ones who stayed when the whole world gnawed. Now I stand where the rafters groan— And I call that ruin home. [Chorus — bigger, more defiant] Black feathers, iron heart, I found my home in the broken dark, Found my people in the ash and stone, And I’ll tear this whole damned city to the bone Before I let them fall. Before I let them bleed. I was made for war, But now I know what I defend. Black feathers, iron heart— Touch my own, And I’ll finish what you start. [Bridge — low, spiritual, threatening] Crow-spirit, old ghost, black-wing guide, You watched my mother. Now watch my side. You know this oath. You know this name. I carry both in blood and flame. Let them come with knives and pride, Let them come in velvet, badge, or lie, I’ve got dead kin in the back of my teeth And live ones now I refuse to leave. [Breakdown — half-shouted, brutal] This is my nest. These are my own. This is the hill I bury you on. One step closer— See what I mean. I keep my family Sharp and breathing. No crown. No throne. Just bone and vow. You want them? Come take them now. [Final Chorus — maximal, triumphant, fierce] Black feathers, iron heart, I found my home in the broken dark, Found my family in the soot and rain, And I’ll paint the walls with your foolish name Before I let them fall. Before I let them bleed. I was born for war, But love gave the violence teeth. Black feathers, iron heart— I found my home, And I’ll die before it comes apart. [Outro — low, final, dangerous] I ain’t asking. I ain’t warning twice. They’re mine. That’s all you need.
