Verse 1 I laid my palm on cracked concrete, Felt it breathe beneath my skin, City hummed like a sick old prayer Tryin’ hard not to give in. Spirits crawled up through the gutter, Called my name like they was kin— Said, You don’t gotta knock no more, boy, You already halfway in. Chorus I slipped through the Gauntlet, Didn’t roar, didn’t run. World peeled back like old paint Under a dying sun. Once you hear the spirits talkin’, Silence never feels the same— I slipped through the Gauntlet, And now everything got a name. Verse 2 Streetlight had a hunger ache, Neon wore a liar’s grin, Every wire sang a pattern Tryin’ to pull my thoughts in line. Saw the Weaver hum her cradle-song, Pretty as a spider’s lie, Saw the Wyld breathe wild and ragged In the cracks folks walk right by. Chorus (Repeat) I slipped through the Gauntlet, Yeah, it scraped me down to bone. Spirits don’t want saviors— They just tired of bein’ alone. Once you see the truth walk naked, You don’t dress it up again— I slipped through the Gauntlet, Ain’t been comfortable since then. Verse 3 Heard the Wyrm cry deep underground, Not all rot, not all wrong, Sounded like a tired god Who forgot his own last song. Some danced down that spiral hole, Called that hunger holy law, But I seen what waits at the bottom— A mouth that never learned to stop. Bridge (Spoken, low and close) Umbra don’t scream. Umbra don’t beg. It just tells you what’s broken And lets you decide if you’ll bleed for it. Verse 4 Came back through the same old alley, Same rain, same rusted gate, But the spirits kept on followin’, Said, You late—but not too late. They don’t care ‘bout your comfort, They don’t care ‘bout your sleep, They just want somebody listenin’ When the wound starts talkin’ deep. Final Chorus I slipped through the Gauntlet, Left my shadow in the seam. Now I walk with both worlds watchin’ Every time I dream. You can keep your quiet daylight, Your clean and simple truth— I slipped through the Gauntlet, Now I see like spirits do. Outro Blues ain’t sorrow. It’s attention. And the Umbra? The Umbra always answers If you’re foolish enough To ask.
