[intro 4 bars] Breathing frost into your doorway Cold nights pull me in I do not beg but I stay And I promise I will not break anything [verse 1 16 bars] I bring what I can carry Nothing more than teeth and trust You offer me a warm room Somewhere to thaw the frost You said follow all your rules And treat your space like sacred ground I said I can, I will Just please do not throw me out I do not mind if you call me pet Or visitor or anything at all It is safer than the darkness And kinder than the cold outside the walls [pre-chorus 8 bars] I try to be quiet I try to be good I try not to want you more Than a Winter Mate should [chorus 16 bars] Lay me by the fire Let the ice melt slow Tell me I can stay Even when the winds blow If I am just a seasonal comfort I accept the role I take But every time you touch me softly My heart forgets that this will break If I am only yours for winter Then winter is all I want to face Hold me in your human warmth I will be your Winter Mate [verse 2 16 bars] If you feed me gentle words I store them like a prize If you treat me with kindness I get tethered without ties I know this ends in spring I know your world moves on But warmth makes dangerous promises And I am weak when dawn is gone I clean your space carefully I sleep curled near your bed I keep my claws hidden Trying not to make a mess Your kindness feels like sunlight On skin that never knew the day And I fear I will love you More than the bargain made [pre-chorus 8 bars] I try to be silent I try to behave I try not to hope For more than shelter gave [chorus 16 bars] Lay me by the fire Let the ice melt slow Tell me I can stay Even when the winds blow If I am just a seasonal comfort I accept the role I take But every time you touch me softly My heart forgets that this will break If I am only yours for winter Then winter is all I want to face Hold me in your human warmth I will be your Winter Mate [bridge 12 bars] If you treat me wrong I will vanish Slip into the storm without a sound But if you treat me gently I will follow you around Warm hands can tame the wild Soft voices make me stay And love grows dangerous When a home feels like a safe place [final chorus 16 bars] Lay me by the fire Let the ice melt slow Tell me I can stay Even when the storms grow Maybe I was only meant To be a fleeting winter ache But touch me like I matter And I will choose you anyway If spring comes and you keep me I will never run away Until then hold me softly I am yours Your Winter Mate
