Trying to Stay Alive

[Intro] (Distant thunder and rain) (Gregorian monks chanting softly: "Mea vita... Mea veritas...") (A heavy, slow, hypnotic drum loop begins) (Echoing Shakuhachi flute melody) [Verse 1: Deep male voice, spoken word, very close to the microphone] I have touched the highest peaks. Breathed the golden air of a hundred lives. I have held the light in the palm of my hand. But I have also walked through the longest nights. Valleys of shadow that no one else can see. A vault of memories I keep locked away. [Pre-Chorus: Breathy, mystical female voice] They see the light... but they do not see the storm. They speak my name... but they do not know the way. (A rush of wind, heavy bass drop) [Chorus: Soaring, ethereal female vocals, wide and echoing] You have no right to weigh my soul! You have not carried this heavy stone! The whispers fade, the judgments fall... Only the true ones see me whole. [Interlude] (The drum loop gets heavier) (Monks return, chanting rhythmically over a pulsing synth bass) (Pan flute solo, soaring and sorrowful) [Verse 2: Deep male voice, spoken word] When the illusion broke, the watchers vanished. Like smoke in the cold wind. They could not survive the winter of my life. But the blood remained. The chosen stayed in the dark with me. They do not judge the scars. They only see the man. [Pre-Chorus: Breathy, mystical female voice] They see the light... they weather the storm. They know the truth... they know the way. [Chorus: Soaring, ethereal female vocals, massive atmospheric sound] You have no right to weigh my soul! You have not carried this heavy stone! The whispers fade, the judgments fall... Only the true ones see me whole. Only the true ones walk me home. [Bridge: Male and Female voices intertwining] (Male Spoken): Through the tragedy... (Female Sung): I find my sanctuary... (Male Spoken): Through the fire... (Female Sung): The only solid ground... [Outro] (The drums stop abruptly) (Just a warm, floating synth pad and the sound of rain) [Deep male voice, whispered]: Family. The only truth. (Flute plays one final, echoing note and fades to silence) [End]