[Verse 1] Stay outside the light, Keep away from the fire, They gather in circles And feed every pyre. They paint on the walls, They have minds in their head, Bring down the stag With a branch sharpened red. I thought they were prey, Soft creatures that fled, But something lives deeper— They remember their dead. [Pre-Chorus] They bind themselves together, They give each other names, And every bond between them Is another road to pain. [Chorus] I am the first shadow! I am the strangled scream! I am the eyes in the black! I am your oldest dream! I am the thing outside the fire! I am the thing outside the fire! Outside the fire! [Verse 2] I was the great weight, The thunder in the wood, Primordial violence That killed because it could. But animals know only The moment of their death, These creatures die a thousand times While they still draw breath. They build their little families, They swear they’ll never part, Every promise makes a weakness, Every doorway finds a heart. [Pre-Chorus] They bind themselves together, They guard each fragile name, And everything they treasure Is another path to pain. [Chorus] I am the first shadow! I am the strangled scream! I am the eyes in the black! I am your oldest dream! I am the thing outside the fire! I am the thing outside the fire! Outside the fire! [Bridge] Time to change. No more charging through the trees, No more blood without design, Let one vanish, leave one waiting— Let the terror take its time. Let them bar the doors at sunset, Let them wake at every sound, Let them wonder who is watching From the black beyond their town. [Breakdown] I was rage! I was hunger! I was violence given form! Now I wait! Now I wonder! Now I watch before the storm! One by one! Name by name! Every bond becomes a chain! Let them run! Let them hide! Let them call into the night! [Final Chorus] I am the first shadow! I am the strangled scream! I am the eyes in the black! I am your oldest dream! I am the thing outside the fire! I am the thing outside the fire! Outside the fire! [Outro] They paint on the walls. They sharpen the branch. They hold one another When darkness advances. Stay outside the light. Keep away from the fire. I am the first shadow. And I have learned To wait.
