Receipts in Flesh and Bone

The mirror don’t bargain, it tallies the cost Stripping the days from the time that I lost Old broken knuckles, they talk to the rain A cold, quiet witness to battles and pain You won’t see the fire that burns down below When teeth-gritting silence is all that you know These hands are like iron, the skin rough as slate Carved in the grit just to carry the weight I asked for no mercy, no applause in the light Just took on the concrete and leaned in the fight No begging for pity, no bows for the crowd Just scraping the dust from a head that ain't bowed Every crooked step gathered interest and debt The bone-tired flesh pays the highest rate yet I don’t wear these scars with no hollow pride They’re cracks in dry timber you don’t try to hide No hero, no gold, no redemption to claim Just receipts in flesh and bone to my name The ghosts from the past are just ash in the breeze Nothing is left but the breath in the knees No pat on the back keeps the frost from the floor You stand on the dirt and you kick at the door I count every split in the timber and stone And hold down the watch in the dark on my own Every crooked step gathered interest and debt The bone-tired flesh pays the highest rate yet I don’t wear these scars with no hollow pride They’re cracks in dry timber you don’t try to hide No hero, no gold, no redemption to claim Just receipts in flesh and bone to my name You don't ask for grace when there’s none left to give You pay what it costs just to choose how you live No steps are regretted, no loss is denied The ledger is open, with nothing to hide! Every crooked step gathered interest and debt The bone-tired flesh pays the highest rate yet I don’t wear these scars with no hollow pride They’re cracks in dry timber you don’t try to hide No hero, no gold, no redemption to claim Just receipts in flesh and bone to my name The dust settles down. The bill was paid in cash.