Verse 1

Verse 1 The shore lay still at break of dawn, No gulls cried out, the night was gone, Just iron clouds and water grey, And footprints washed the past away. He came alone where waves run thin, With salt on coat and ache within, A dagger old, no jewel or name, Yet heavy as remembered flame. Chorus O tide, remember what I give, Take what I could not learn to live, If guilt must sink, then let it be, Drowned deep beneath the breaking sea. Verse 2 Each notch a night, each stain a face, Each edge a choice he can’t erase, So still he stood where cold waves creep, And felt the pull of promised sleep. Chorus O tide, remember what I give, Take what I could not learn to live, Let rust take hold, let salt lay claim, On iron, blood, and spoken name. Bridge (soft, intimate) If blades could speak, they’d beg or curse, But silence is the truer verse, For some must carry, some must pay, And some must walk… still here… still stay. Final Chorus O tide, remember what I gave, I kept the breath, I spared the grave, If mercy lives in what I’ve been, Let it begin… where blood has been. Outro The sea said nothing in reply, Just rolled its breath beneath the sky, And Marcus turned from water’s edge— Unarmed… unforgiven… unpledged.