Intro – whispered ensemble, arrhythmic]

Intro – whispered ensemble, arrhythmic] (barely audible, like wind through a broken church) Say his name… Say his name… Say his name… ⸻ [Verse 1 – low, intimate, almost spoken] I was a rumor in the plaster A stain beneath the paint A shadow stretching longer Than the prayers of every saint You sealed me in your houses You locked me in your halls But grief is such a patient thing It seeps through brick and walls ⸻ [Pre-Chorus – strings begin pulsing] Scratch my story out in chalk Wash me down the drain But every silence breeds my voice Every mirror says my name ⸻ [Chorus – full, darkly triumphant] I am the writing on the wall The crack that splits the frame The buzzing in the empty room The whisper of your name I am the knock you can’t outrun The past you can’t outrun at all You built this house on broken bones— And I… I am the writing on the wall ⸻ [Verse 2 – stronger, bitter elegance] You dressed your fear in Sunday white Called monsters something “less” But every rope you ever tied Still hums inside my chest Your children learned my story wrong Your history lied sweet But blood remembers everything It rises through the street ⸻ [Ensemble – rhythmic chant underneath] Candyman… Candyman… Candyman… ⸻ [Pre-Chorus – climbing] Count to five and turn away Pretend you don’t believe But say it once and I’m your breath Say it twice and I don’t leave ⸻ [Chorus – bigger, percussive, organ enters] I am the writing on the wall The hive beneath your skin The swarm of every buried truth You never let begin I am the debt that can’t be paid The echo in the stall Your mirror doesn’t summon me— You called. You called. You called. ⸻ [Bridge – quiet, almost tender, tragic humanity] I was a man once Hands full of honey Dreams full of light I loved a girl who said my name Like it could make me right But fire remembers And crowds remember And ropes remember too So when you taste the sugar air— It’s me Coming through ⸻ [Build – heartbeat percussion] Knock knock Who’s there Grief Grief who Grief you buried Coming home for you ⸻ [Final Chorus – explosive, gospel-gothic] I am the writing on the wall The swarm, the sting, the call The story that you tried to hide Now towering ten feet tall I am the name you’re scared to speak The truth that makes you crawl You built your heaven over hell— And now I rise I rise I AM THE WRITING ON THE WALL ⸻ [Outro – whisper returns] (soft, childlike, distant) Say his name… Say his name… Say his— (sudden blackout)