The Bitter Seed

[singer A] I breathe the dust of a thousand fathers, The weight of names I can’t carry farther. Every heartbeat is a borrowed sound, Dragging my heels on the frozen ground. [melodic interlude] [singer B] The air is getting thin in the hall, Shadows are leaning against the wall. I feel the ancestors start to wake— How much more can a hollow man take? [singer A] I am the harvest of a bitter seed, Sown in the garden of ancient greed. Buried alive in a lineage of ghosts, Tied to the pillars and the rotting posts. Give me a life that is only mine, Break the curve of the family line. [transition] [singer B] Tear the silver from the shaking hand, Build a house on the shifting sand. My lungs are heavy with the soot and smoke, The crown I wear is a heavy yoke. Look in the mirror and see his eyes— A familiar face in a thin disguise. [singer A] STOP. THE. BLEEDING. I. AM. NOT. YOU. LET ME GO Empty hands, open veins— Wash away the family stains. [instrumental] [singer B] I am the harvest of a bitter seed, Sown in the garden of ancient greed. Buried alive in a lineage of ghosts, Tied to the pillars and the rotting posts. Give me a life that is only mine, Break the curve of the family line. [singer A] Just a man in the quiet dark, Trying to find a single spark.