[Intro – chanted, rising, over low vocal drone and guitar feedback] Give me the ring Give me the robe Give me the silence you bought with a stone [Instrumental – SDS-V tribal toms kick in, lead bass, reverb twang guitar] [Verse 1 – sung, strong open-throated baritone, driving] The candles burned down to the bone In the basement off the boulevard We carved our names in borrowed stone And blessed the bouncer and the bar The old hymns sound like static now On a jukebox nobody fed We learned the words for when and how To keep on singing like the dead [Chorus – soaring belted vocal, gang chant backing, octave-doubled] Black painted choir, sing me down Dress me in fire, drape me in sound Lace for a halo, wax for a crown Wine on the altar, pass it around We won't hide, we stand our ground We never died, we just went underground [Instrumental Break – flanged guitar, tom fills, howled vocal ad-libs] (Oh-oh-oh! Yeah!) [Verse 2 – sung, strong open-throated baritone, driving] The bells still ring for no one there Since the parish sold the hall Now there's lace on every chair And our flyers on the wall The icons watch us from the stage Gold leaf peeling at the eyes We are the saints of a lesser age Who sleep through every sunrise [Chorus – soaring belted vocal, gang chant backing, octave-doubled] Black painted choir, sing me down Dress me in fire, drape me in sound Lace for a halo, wax for a crown Wine on the altar, pass it around We won't hide, we stand our ground We never died, we just went underground [Instrumental Section – tribal SDS-V tom breakdown, lead bass solo, tribal chant] (Hey! Hey! Hey!) [Verse 3 – sung, pulled back, then swelling] We wear our shadows like souvenirs Collect the candle wax and tears We say our names in smoke and glass And nail them to the crooked mass The faithful left, the building stayed And we're the only ones who prayed Each Sunday night the doors swing wide For everyone who never died [Final Chorus – full band, all-out belted vocal, gang chant, cathartic] Black painted choir, sing me down Dress me in fire, drape me in sound Lace for a halo, wax for a crown Wine on the altar, pass it around We won't hide, we stand our ground We never died, we just went underground (Underground!) [Outro – band cuts, sung low and sustained over fading drone] Give me the ring Give me the name Give me the silence You buried in flame
