Ashes in the Shape of Us

[Intro instrumental, dusty piano and slow electric guitar bends] [Verse 1, slow and cracked] Found that photo in a box of smoke Corners curled, but still ain't broke Still smells like home, still feels like sin She’s in the walls, he’s in the wind [Pre-Chorus, breathy with slide guitar] We never talked in perfect words But I still hear what never hurts [Chorus, low and full — with grit and weight] In the fire we never named We burned down slow, we stayed the same Through rust and rain, through blood and dust We’re ashes in the shape of us [Short instrumental break — one guitar phrase, low cello swell] We rose from pain, we fell through grace We cracked but held, not lost, not replaced We carry ghosts, but never rust We’re ashes in the shape of us [Instrumental transition — swampy tremolo guitar and slow floor toms] [Verse 2, steady and low] She held storms in whiskey hands He just stood like dried-up land We fell apart in quiet rooms But never left, we just made room [Pre-Chorus, gravel rising] We didn’t run, didn’t beg We lit a match and watched it beg [Chorus, full band, drum-heavy — like a tired scream] In the fire we never named We burned down slow, we stayed the same Through rust and rain, through blood and dust We’re ashes in the shape of us [Short instrumental break — reverb hit and feedback guitar swell] We rose from pain, we fell through grace We cracked but held, not lost, not replaced We carry ghosts, but never rust We’re ashes in the shape of us [Guitar Solo — raw, blues-infused, sustained bends, ambient growl] [Bridge, whispered and slow burn] Carved our names in bathroom stalls Left behind in southern halls And even when the flame grew thin I’d light it up just to see her grin [Chorus, final lift — with cracked harmony vocals] In the fire we never named We burned down slow, we stayed the same Through rust and rain, through blood and dust We’re ashes in the shape of us [Short instrumental break — kick drum heartbeat and final swell] We rose from pain, we fell through grace We cracked but held, not lost, not replaced We carry ghosts, but never rust We’re ashes in the shape of us [Outro, slow fade, dusty echo guitar and tape hiss] We’re ashes in the shape of us Still burning Still enough We’re ashes in the shape of us Still breathing We’re ashes in the shape of us (Still here...) We’re ashes in the shape of us [Studio fadeout — looped dirty guitar lick, low organ hum, vinyl crackle] [Slow volume drop, vocals trail off, ambient reverb decays] [Silent] [End]