[Intro – clean, sparse guitar + distant chain rattle] I keep the ledger in the dark Where the names are written cold You walked in with a candle And the pages turned to gold [Verse 1] I have counted every breath Since the first one left the clay I have walked the quiet rivers Where the living come to stay But your laughter cut the silence Like a knife across the stone And I, the final merchant Felt the hunger in my bones [Pre-Chorus] There is no mercy in the hourglass No bargain left to make Yet I stand here with my scythe lowered For the sake of your mistake [Chorus] I am the shadow at the foot of your bed I am the silence when the last word is said I was born to take the light away But I love the way you burn I love the way you burn [Verse 2] I have watched the empires crumble I have kissed the fevered brow I have held the hands of children When the fever would not bow Still your name is written deeper Than the oldest of my debts And the black horse in the courtyard Has begun to feel regret [Pre-Chorus] There is no mercy in the hourglass No bargain left to make Yet I stand here with my scythe lowered For the sake of your mistake [Chorus] I am the shadow at the foot of your bed I am the silence when the last word is said I was born to take the light away But I love the way you burn I love the way you burn [Bridge – heavier, half-time, screamed undertones] I could end the world tomorrow And still leave you standing there I could close the book forever And still feel you in the air Love is just another ending That refuses to arrive So I keep the blade unfinished Just to keep you still alive [Final Chorus – full intensity, layered vocals] I am the shadow at the foot of your bed I am the silence when the last word is said I was born to take the light away But I love the way you burn God help me, I love the way you burn [Outro – fading clean arpeggio + distant scream] The hourglass is broken The names begin to blur I will wait a little longer Until the end of her
