Born in Ash, Bound to Tomorrow

INTRO (spoken, low, over wind + distant crackle) Count the ribs of the dead cities. Hear the sky breathe lightning. That’s where I woke up. VERSE 1 I hatched in the hush after sirens and thunder, Concrete cathedral, rebar like bone. Every shadow said monster, every echo said hunger, But the first thing I heard was a vow in my own. Heat in my chest like a loaded eclipse, Jaw full of storm, and I don’t even know why. I taste the fear on the air when it shifts, Little hearts racing when I step outside. PRE-CHORUS And the world wants a legend with teeth, Wants a crater where mercy should be. But I’m learning the shape of my breath, Before it turns you to history. CHORUS BORN IN ASH, BOUND TO TOMORROW! (HEY!) I don’t bow down, I don’t beg, I don’t borrow. BORN IN ASH, BOUND TO TOMORROW! (HEY!) I’m the sky’s hard answer, the edge of the marrow. You call me curse, you call me blight, You call me death in a halo of light, But listen close when the dark gets mean: I’m not the fire you fear, I’m the fire you need. VERSE 2 Hoard-call humming like coins in a current, Gold in my blood, and it pulls like a chain. Territory itch, old instincts insurgent, “Take what you want,” like the world’s always been. But I watched a scavenger share out her water, Hands shaking bad, still she split it in two. So I swallowed the growl, let the heat run colder, Let the hunger learn a different truth. PRE-CHORUS 2 If I’m built to be wrath, I can choose to be wall, I can stand where the nightmares crawl. I can learn what a promise costs, And pay it with fang and all. CHORUS BORN IN ASH, BOUND TO TOMORROW! (HEY!) I don’t bow down, I don’t beg, I don’t borrow. BORN IN ASH, BOUND TO TOMORROW! (HEY!) I’m the sky’s hard answer, the edge of the marrow. You call me curse, you call me blight, You call me death in a halo of light, But listen close when the dark gets mean: I’m not the fire you fear, I’m the fire you need. BRIDGE (half-time, whispered then rising) Shut your lights. Hear that silence choke. That’s my lungs pulling storm from the sky. One breath to ruin… One breath to hold… One choice to draw the line. (spoken, building) I could melt your towers to slag and songs. I could make your war a bedtime story. But I learned something in the broken dawn: Power without purpose is only a quarry. BREAKDOWN (call-and-response, heavy chugs) Say “MONSTER!” (MONSTER!) I say “SENTINEL!” (SENTINEL!) Say “BURN IT!” (BURN IT!) I say “NOT THIS TIME!” (NOT THIS TIME!) I bite the dark, I break the chain, I name my flame and keep it reined. FINAL CHORUS (bigger, extended) BORN IN ASH, BOUND TO TOMORROW! (HEY!) Write my name in the thunder you follow. BORN IN ASH, BOUND TO TOMORROW! (HEY!) I rise, I roar, but I won’t go hollow. You call me curse, you call me blight, I’ll be the shield in the dying light, And if the night thinks you’re easy prey, I’ll teach it fear. I’ll make it pay. So stand behind me, don’t flinch, don’t bleed, I’m not the fire you fear… I’m the fire you need. OUTRO (spoken, quiet, wind returning) My wings still hurt. My breath still shakes. But tomorrow’s got teeth. And so do I.