FORMAL NOTICE: THE BRIDGE I CAN BURN

Wasi River Bluegrass / BridgeIncluded.ca

Irish folk, protest song, folk punk (protest-chant intensity)

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V5.5

Title: FORMAL NOTICE: THE BRIDGE I CAN BURN

[Instrumental Intro — 4 bars]

[Verse 1]
By the riverbank I found it,
Bridge of burden, bridge of years;
Built on orders, fear, and silence,
Held in place by debts and fears.
There I paid beyond all measure,
There I learned the cost to stay;
Now I sign in full awareness,
I withdraw and walk away.

[Verse 2]
Long I hammered at its timbers,
Long I strained to keep it whole;
Through the cracking of its rafters,
Through the grinding down my soul.
Some will shoulder chains much longer,
Some will name what cannot stand;
So with steady, sworn conviction,
I release it from my hand.

[Refrain]
This is the bridge I will burn,
Non in ira, sed in luce;
Let the ledger be my witness,
Keep the record, keep it kept.
I march on with fixed direction,
Name and conscience still intact;
This decision now is final,
And I will not take it back.

[Verse 3]
I return your keys and badges,
I leave paper, clear and plain;
I will neither shade nor color
What was signed in blood and strain.
I keep discipline and distance,
I cross not one forbidden line;
Let no hand recast this breaking
As consent or as resign.

[Verse 4]
Keep the archive hard and faithful,
Keep the logs and wages due;
Keep the closing free of theatre,
Cold, exacting, grim, and true.
If the chandeliers come falling,
Let that crashing pass from me;
I have carried what was given,
Now I leave the balance free.

[Bridge]
Let the record stand unbroken,
Let no hand revise the page;
Let no whispered friendly story
Wash the filings from the age.
For the ledger speaks in fullness
When the tongues of men fall still;
I depart in lawful order,
And I do no further ill.

[Final Refrain x2]
This is the bridge I will burn,
Non in ira, sed in luce;
Let the ledger be my witness,
Keep the record, keep it kept.
I march on with fixed direction,
Name and conscience still intact;
This decision now is final,
And I will not take it back.

This is the bridge I will burn,
By the river I make known;
What was carried past all measure
I am not still bound to own.
In manus veritatis,
I commend the rest to fact;
This decision now is final,
And I will not take it back.

[Instrumental Coda]

2428/7500

Title: FORMAL NOTICE: THE BRIDGE I CAN BURN [Instrumental Intro — 4 bars] [Verse 1] By the riverbank I found it, Bridge of burden, bridge of years; Built on orders, fear, and silence, Held in place by debts and fears. There I paid beyond all measure, There I learned the cost to stay; Now I sign in full awareness, I withdraw and walk away. [Verse 2] Long I hammered at its timbers, Long I strained to keep it whole; Through the cracking of its rafters, Through the grinding down my soul. Some will shoulder chains much longer, Some will name what cannot stand; So with steady, sworn conviction, I release it from my hand. [Refrain] This is the bridge I will burn, Non in ira, sed in luce; Let the ledger be my witness, Keep the record, keep it kept. I march on with fixed direction, Name and conscience still intact; This decision now is final, And I will not take it back. [Verse 3] I return your keys and badges, I leave paper, clear and plain; I will neither shade nor color What was signed in blood and strain. I keep discipline and distance, I cross not one forbidden line; Let no hand recast this breaking As consent or as resign. [Refrain] This is the bridge I will burn, Non in ira, sed in luce; Let the ledger be my witness, Keep the record, keep it kept. I march on with fixed direction, Name and conscience still intact; This decision now is final, And I will not take it back. [Verse 4] Keep the archive hard and faithful, Keep the logs and wages due; Keep the closing free of theatre, Cold, exacting, grim, and true. If the chandeliers come falling, Let that crashing pass from me; I have carried what was given, Now I leave the balance free. [Bridge] Let the record stand unbroken, Let no hand revise the page; Let no whispered friendly story Wash the filings from the age. For the ledger speaks in fullness When the tongues of men fall still; I depart in lawful order, And I do no further ill. [Final Refrain x2] This is the bridge I will burn, Non in ira, sed in luce; Let the ledger be my witness, Keep the record, keep it kept. I march on with fixed direction, Name and conscience still intact; This decision now is final, And I will not take it back. This is the bridge I will burn, By the river I make known; What was carried past all measure I am not still bound to own. In manus veritatis, I commend the rest to fact; This decision now is final, And I will not take it back. [Instrumental Coda]

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