Verse 1 Desert grit in my mouth, same sunrise, same miles, Manna in the morning, stories in the night, Men cursing the heat, women mending the tents, Kids counting lizards like they’re counting down time. I kept my faith folded, small, in the pocket of my cloak, Saving it for later, like a coin I’d never spend. Snakes were a rumor till the sand started moving, Like the ground learned how to breathe again. Pre-Chorus We begged for a map and got more horizon. We asked for a plan and got told, “Keep walking.” And then the sand uncoiled. Chorus I said it was foolish, brass on a pole, What’s a metal serpent to blood in a vein. I laughed till it bit me and the laugh turned cold, My pride went silent, my leg was flame. I looked because dying felt dumber than hope, Not holy, not brave, not even convinced. I looked, and the fire went out of my bones, And I learned what it means to live by a glimpse. Verse 2 It started like pins, then it ran like a river, Up the calf to the gut, to the drum of the heart. Friends yelling “Go,” hands under my shoulders, Camp spinning slow like a sky full of sparks. I found that pole by stumbling, not by wisdom, Heat in my skull, copper on my tongue. Didn’t pray, didn’t sing, didn’t bargain or promise, I raised my eyes because I didn’t want to die young. Pre-Chorus I wanted a cure that matched my opinions. I wanted control, and the rules of my choosing. All I got was a look. Chorus I said it was foolish, brass on a pole, What’s a metal serpent to blood in a vein. I mocked till the venom rewrote my soul, Then one hard glance untied the pain. I looked because stubborn can’t argue with death, Not faithful, not pure, not even convinced. I looked, and the storm walked out of my chest, And I learned that trust can start with a flinch. Post-Chorus Air came back like water from rock. Color bled back into the world. Some lessons don’t ask your permission, They carve their initials and leave you a sting. Verse 3 After, I sat with the quiet and the shakes, Watching the sand where the serpents wrote S’s. The pole didn’t chase them, the camp still careful, Boots high, bedrolls tight, all the usual guesses. The world stayed dry, the distance stayed long, We still packed light and shouldered the sun. But something got simpler inside my chest, Like a knot that decided it wanted to be one. Bridge I wanted thunder, a spectacle, proof. Got a glance, a pause, a choice in the heat. I thought faith was a speech with perfect words. Turns out it’s a neck that’s willing to lift. Chorus I said it was foolish, brass on a pole, What’s a metal serpent to blood in a vein. I lived to be wrong and I count that a win, Because being alive is better than being right in pain. I looked without poetry, bargain, or vow, Not holy, not clean, not making amends. I looked, and the desert didn’t change at all, But the walk got lighter and I feel blessed. Outro Now when the sand moves, I still jump first, Then I breathe, then I scan, then I pick my way through. The scar on my ankle is thin as a thread, A quiet reminder of what a little faith can do. Not a hymn, not a banner, not an easy refrain, Just a lesson that fits in the palm of my hand: When pride is a furnace and fear is a chain, Sometimes the bravest thing is a look you can’t stand.
