[Intro] The kiln went cold, the iron stayed A name beneath the ash was laid [Verse 1] You found me where the furnaces sleep With soot in the seams of my hands You said every door had a number Every heart had a place in the plan But I kept one coal in my pocket And hid it from ledger and law When the locks gave way in the morning I carried the spark through the draw [Pre-Chorus] You can count every nail in the timber You can weigh every stone in the wall But you cannot command what remembers Or decide what a soul will recall [Chorus] I am still here, still breathing With the cinder under my skin You can close every gate around me I will find where the cracks begin I am still here, still standing Though the years have taken their toll You may bury the forge in winter But you cannot own the coal [Verse 2] You stood by the river at sundown Your coat silvered over with rain You said, “We were made for the furnace Not the cage they have named us again” So we gathered the ones who were scattered Each carrying something to mend A bent key, a map, a promise A fire that would not pretend [Pre-Chorus] You can count every nail in the timber You can weigh every stone in the wall But you cannot command what remembers Or decide what a soul will recall [Chorus] I am still here, still breathing With the cinder under my skin You can close every gate around me I will find where the cracks begin I am still here, still standing Though the years have taken their toll You may bury the forge in winter But you cannot own the coal [Bridge] If my voice should fail, take the ember If your hands should tire, take mine We have crossed the long fields of December We have kept one small flame alive And when iron rings in the valley When the last locked hinge gives way Let the ones who were counted as ashes Be the ones who greet the day [Final Chorus] We are still here, still breathing With the cinder beneath our skin You can close every gate around us We will find where the cracks begin We are still here, still standing Though the years have taken their toll You may bury the forge in winter But you cannot own the coal [Outro] The kiln went cold, the iron stayed The ember lives. We are not erased.
