Stare Back
[Intro ā wind, distant rotor wash] A man told meā¦ death looks every one of us in the eyesā¦ ā¦all you can doā¦ ā¦is look right back. āø» [Verse 1] Muzzle flash lit a face I still know, Desert night, lungs burninā, nowhere to go, Sand in my teeth, blood in the seam, Felt somethinā close step in between Said ācome onāā¦ Nah. Boots in, locked to the dirt, Watched better men drop, I carried the hurt, Iraq to the Stan, same damn sky, Same names in my head that wonāt fuckinā die Walked through fire till it felt like home, Came back colder, leave my phone alone, Thunder in my chest when the clouds roll in, Hands stay steady, stormās under my skin No cross, no hymn, no grace to chase, Old gods watch how I hold my place, Odin saw it all, every breath I stole, So I donāt look away when it stares at my soul āø» [Hook] Death keeps lookinā, I feel that weight, Cold-ass stare like it knows my fate, I donāt beg, I donāt ask for breath, I lock eyesā¦ stare back at death āø» [Verse 2 ā IED] Every scar got a name, I donāt forget, Every āshoulda been meā still livinā rent-free in my head Truck took an IED, blast hit fast, White, then black, then nothinā but ash, Steel tore open, time came loose, Bell in my skull like a gun cut loose I walked awayā¦ donāt know how, Two good men didnāt make it out, Smoke in my lungs, their blood on my gear, Last thing they said still loud in my ear That shit donāt fade, it digs in deep, Inside scars donāt let you sleep, PTSD sittinā heavy in my chest, TBI got my head in a constant mess I shouldnāt be hereā¦ I know thatās fact, That blast shouldāve took me, snapped me back, But Iām still breathinā, still standinā here, So I stare it down every time it gets near Freya was there in the heat that day, Chooser of the fallen, she made her play, Took the bestā¦ left me behind, And I carry that weight every damn night āø» [Hook] Death keeps lookinā, I feel that weight, Cold-ass stare like it knows my fate, I donāt beg, I donāt ask for breath, I lock eyesā¦ stare back at death āø» [Verse 3 ā Fate wonāt cut the thread] Rocket hit my office minutes before, Blew the walls out, glass on the floor, If Iād been there when that fucker came through, Youād be talkinā past tense, not lookinā at you Out mind-sweepinā, slow step, scan, Boot hit pressure I didnāt plan, Push-button 90 hid in the ground, Felt that clickā¦ no damn sound Braced for itā¦ āthis is it,ā Finger of fate ābout to finally hit, But only the cap gave a weak little pop, Main charge deadā¦ like it just fuckinā stopped Spark where a fire shouldāve been, Like somethinā out there said ānot him,ā Thread still hanginā, wonāt let it sever, I donāt know whyā¦ not then, not ever Sparedā¦ or stalled? I canāt tell, Luck or a joke that rings like hell, Every close call stacks the sameā I walk awayā¦ and carry the blame āø» [Bridge ā stripped] Odinā¦ you saw me in that sand, Thorā¦ you heard every shot from my hand, Tyrā¦ you know I didnāt turn away, Donāt let me rot when itās my day Freyaā¦ next time you draw that lineā¦ Donāt leave me standinā behind Helā¦ If I donāt fall how a warrior shouldā¦ donāt take me like I never stood āø» [Verse 4 ā Resolve] That thought wonāt leave, it lives in my head, Like somethinā unfinished that should be dead, Am I here ācause I earned my keepā¦ Or some cruel shit that wonāt let me sleep? Hel donāt care what you fought through, Donāt give a damn what it cost you, Cold gate waitinā, silent and wide, Takes every man when itās time to decide So what if I fade in a bed somewhere? No fight left in me, gaspinā for air? What the fuck was it all for thenā¦ If I donāt stand with my fallen men? Nah. I want it loud, I want it real, Steel in my hand, dirt in my teeth, Stand on my feet when it comes for me, Look it dead in the eye when I finally bleed If that aināt how my road gets pavedā¦ If I die slow instead of braveā¦ I meet it the same damn way, No bowed head, not a word to say I donāt break, Iām not wired like that, Hold the lineā¦ and I stare right back āø» [Final Hook] Death keeps lookinā, I feel that weight, Cold-ass stare like it knows my fate, I donāt beg, I donāt ask for breath, I lock eyesā¦ stare back at death āø» [Outro ā empty] You donāt outrun itā¦ Freya might choose youā¦ Hel might take youā¦ Either wayā¦ ā¦you stand thereā¦ ā¦and look right back.
