Stand at The End

[Intro – Solo Bugle + Soft Military Drum Cadence, Voice Bare] Why am I fighting? Love of country? Safety of family? Or… to prove I’m worthy? ⸻ [Verse 1 – Soft clean guitar + slow snare march] I’ve met so many on my path, Faces burned into the aftermath. We bore the wrath, we felt the flame, Some gone… some never the same. I stood when no one else could stand, Held their hands as they left this land. Survived it all, but at what cost? I counted every name we lost… ⸻ [🔥 Chorus – Big drums, full instrumentation, rising vocals] Stand at the end, when they fold the flag. When silence falls and rifles drag. Will you hold the weight I’ve always carried? Or let me be another soul they bury? I stood for them, will you stand for me? When taps play soft, when I cease to be? ⸻ [Verse 2 – Back down slightly, orchestral strings join] I stayed behind when others fell, Whispered prayers, stood through the knell. I was the calm while others wept, Holding strength that barely kept. The volley cracks, the echoes swell, And I’m still here… …but living in farewell. ⸻ [Bridge – Solo bugle call returns, then layered with choir harmony] One by one, the names grow fewer. Still I march, but the world seems newer. Not brighter, just more hollow, thin. My war’s not over… it’s just worn in. And in my mind it rings again… “You’ve spent your life… inviting friends… to your own funeral… in the end.” ⸻ [🔥 Final Chorus – Full swell, orchestration explodes] Stand at the end, like I did before. When taps ring out and the heavens roar. Don’t look away, don’t leave me unseen, When my silence joins the in-between. I stood for them, now stand for me. One last time… Let me be free. ⸻ [Outro – Bugle solo fades, final whispered line:] Will you… Stand at the end?