[Verse 1 — baritone, ticking guitar] There's a picture of me walking Through a house of amber flame Hands relaxed beside my body Like the smoke has learned my name Every room holds someone's laughter Every wall was built with love But the floors beneath my footsteps Are giving way, inch by inch [Pre-Chorus — rising bass] They helped me build this place I can't bear to watch them grieve So I smile inside the burning And forget that I can leave [Chorus — soaring, syncopated] Let it burn, let it burn Something's turning into ash Is it everything we've made Or the future I can't have? I could kick the door wide open Draw a new life in the sky But I stand here in the fire Keeping everybody dry (Everybody but me) [Verse 2 — chopped vocals] Every morning brings a blueprint For a life without these walls Every night I fold it smaller When I hear the people call I don't hate the hands that held me I just miss the hands I had [Bridge — half-time, whispered] One day I'll strike the match—or stay And let my unbuilt world decay There's no smoke without a loss No road that doesn't have a cost [Final Chorus — layered harmonies] Let it burn, let it burn I'm so calm it almost hurts One life flickers in the hallway One is buried in the earth As the ceiling paints the sunset I don't move, I don't run I just watch and wonder softly Which of my two lives is done [Outro — fading harmony] (One burns down / one burns down) I stand where both the shadows meet
