[Intro – low guqin, distant banjo] Under your skin… shénhuǒ chéng xǐng — the spirit-fire wakes, an ancient river moves in silence, tiān dòng qǐ — the heavens stir. You draw the line, then move it again, talk in circles, cut me in chains. A serpent of light, hidden in the marrow, uncoils… rises… remembers its name. Rip me open, read what you need, underline every doubt I bleed. Your spine becomes jīnguāng lù — the golden road, your breath opens the gate between worlds. [Verse – banjo + steam percussion] Well now, honey, that fire’s been sleepin’ long, burnin’ in the holler of your bones. You load your blame, then call it the truth, aim your hurt and make me the proof. But once it starts climbin’, ain’t no turnin’ back, that light’ll shake the dust off your soul like a storm rollin’ over old pine — I hit my knees, still you demand another version, another mask in my hands. Girl… boy… whoever you are — you’re ‘bout to shine, even with their chains around your spine. [Pre-Chorus – throat drones rising] Khurai ündsen… the root trembles. Gerel mogoi — the serpent of light ascends, through the belly, through the heart, through the throat, to the crown. The steppe wind follows you. [Hook – call & response] What the hell do you want me to be? (Inside my chest, the spirit-fire wakes in me.) You already carved your name into me, (But there’s a pressure, zhivoi tok, that won’t obey.) You say you know exactly what I am — so why you twisting me, insisting I bend? lies the one who never sleeps. A pressure… zhi [Intro – low guqin, distant banjo] Under your skin… shénhuǒ chéng xǐng — the spirit-fire wakes, an ancient river moves in silence, tiān dòng qǐ — the heavens stir. You draw the line, then move it again, talk in circles, cut me in chains. A serpent of light, hidden in the marrow, uncoils… rises… remembers its name. Rip me open, read what you need, underline every doubt I bleed. Your spine becomes jīnguāng lù — the golden road, your breath opens the gate between worlds. [Verse – banjo + steam percussion] Well now, honey, that fire’s been sleepin’ long, burnin’ in the holler of your bones. You load your blame, then call it the truth, aim your hurt and make me the proof. But once it starts climbin’, ain’t no turnin’ back, that light’ll shake the dust off your soul like a storm rollin’ over old pine — I hit my knees, still you demand another version, another mask in my hands. Girl… boy… whoever you are — you’re ‘bout to shine, even with their chains around your spine. [Pre-Chorus – throat drones rising] Khurai ündsen… the root trembles. Gerel mogoi — the serpent of light ascends, through the belly, through the heart, through the throat, to the crown. The steppe wind follows you. [Hook – call & response] What the hell do you want me to be? (Inside my chest, the spirit-fire wakes in me.) You already carved your name into me, (But there’s a pressure, zhivoi tok, that won’t obey.) You say you know exactly what I am — so why you twisting me, insisting I bend? (When she rises, I refuse to bend.) [Verse – balalaika + beat] Vnutri tebia… v samotnóm serdtse… lies the one who never sleeps. A pressure… zhivoi tok… a living current… pushes upward through bone and shadow. You say you know me — so why am I drowning in your thoughts, not mine? You say you own me — so why do you flinch every time I draw the line? Kogda ona podnimáetsya — when she rises — your whole being becomes svetovoy istochnik, a fountain of light. [Chorus – all voices, world-ritual style] When the serpent of light begins to rise, the earth beneath you opens wide. No border, no wall can hold your fire — you burn with the breath of the first empire. What the hell do you want me to be? You already carved your name into me, you say you know exactly what I am — but I won’t twist for you, I will not bend. When the serpent of light ignites your chest, the universe leans close to rest. You are the storm, you are the spark — the sun reborn in the deepest dark. [Bridge – Call of the Four Paths] (Liang:) hūxī shēng — rise with breath (Batu:) gerel duu — the light-song (Buck:) let it climb ya, let it take ya home (Sergei:) svet idyót — light moves forward Four cultures, four winds, one serpent, tearin’ off every mask you invented. [Final Drop – cosmic break + chant] You say you know me — (When the serpent awakens…) You say you own me — (…the veil is gone.) When the serpent of light breaks through your crown, your body dissolves into sacred sound. You see with the heart, you hear the All, you become the echo before the fall. What the hell do you want me to be? (You are the dawn, you are the light.) You already carved your name into me — (I am the fire that’s been here all my life.) You say you know exactly what I am — so watch me rise where you wanted me to bend. When the serpent awakens, the veil is gone — you stand as the fire that’s been there all along. You are the world awakening tonight. [Outro – whisper over fading drones] Mínghuǒ bù miè… the bright fire never dies. Nǐ jiù shì guāng… you are the light.
