Verse 1 I walked away from comfortFrom the warmth I always knewStepped into a colder roomWhere the mirror told the truth He did not speak in flatteryHe did not praise my nameHe only stood there watchingAnd said, “Again.” Pre-Chorus I did not know what I was seekingOnly what I lackedA hunger deeper than approvalA discipline I did not have Chorus Hammer down, strike the steelHeat and pressure make it realNo applause, no easy wayThrough the forging of every dayPlateau silence, ego’s cryStay the course, and trust the processIn the fire, fear dissolvesMastery is slow resolve Verse 2 Calloused hands and quiet watchingLearning what he never saidTiming, weight, and how to carryFailure without dread Boredom like a long gray winterNo reward in sightJust the echo of his voice“Again. Get it right.” Pre-Chorus Something in me started changingLess reaction, more controlDelayed hunger, sharpened focusIron settling in my soul Chorus Hammer down, strike the steelHeat and pressure make it realNo applause, no easy wayThrough the forging of every dayPlateau silence, ego’s cryStay the course, and trust the processIn the fire, fear dissolvesMastery is slow resolve Bridge I faced the edge of not knowingStared into the doubtEmbarrassment and exposureBurned the weakness out One day the motion found meThe break inside the seamA thousand hours underneathTurned effort into being Final Chorus Hammer down, strike the steelI am what the hours revealNo shortcut carved my nameNo borrowed flameFear is familiar groundConfidence without a soundFrom apprentice into flameNow I carry on the chain Extended Outro He no longer says it nowI hear it in my breathAgain. I faced the fire long enoughTo let the false self fallPlateaus broke my hungerAnd discipline built the wall No applause defined meNo crowd could make me wholeI earned what could not be handedI fed my starving soul I own the food that mastery givesIt lives inside my bonesWhat once I envied of othersNow stands as what I own Again.
