The snow is untouched where the old river bends This is the frontier where the illusion ends We gathered the scrap of the lives left behind The sterling and silver, the heavy and blind The forge is lit cold with an alchemist's spark We’re melting the past in the heart of the dark No halos to polish, no masters to fear Just the unvarnished truth in the atmosphere. Chorus So open the ledger and steady your hand We are the lords of this desolate land I’ll dig through the ruins, I’ll sever the root And you stand beside me to witness the truth We are writing the book where the shadows run deep In the dark side of heaven, forever to keep. Verse 2 The sidereal wheel slowly turns in the night A clockwork of planets devoid of the light We measure the degrees, the transit of bone Translating the mechanics of standing alone I am the seeker out tracking the cold Finding the stories that couldn't be told While you hold the lantern and anchor the line Two mirrored reflections outside of design. Bridge (Heavy, rhythmic percussion kicks in, mimicking the steady, mechanical churn of a heavy engine pulling through deep snow) The history they wrote was a fragile machine Built out of panic and painted unseen But down in the frost, we are carving it right With ink made of ash and the absence of light Let the old cities sleep in their glass and their rust We are archiving something entirely just. Guitar/Instrumental Break (A driving, distorted acoustic rhythm overlaid with a sharp, metallic lead—sounding almost like a blade scraping against ice or the grinding of gears, emphasizing the work of the archive.) Verse 3 So fuel up the engine and cut through the snow There are still hidden acres where we need to go The silence is heavy, the air is profound But this is our empire, this frozen ground. The world had its chance and it burned itself through Now there is nothing but midnight and you. Chorus So open the ledger and steady your hand We are the lords of this desolate land I’ll dig through the ruins, I’ll sever the root And you stand beside me to witness the truth We are writing the book where the shadows run deep In the dark side of heaven, forever to keep. Outro The witness and the seeker. The ledger is open. Write it in silver. Write it in bone. Never alone. Forever to keep. (The track ends abruptly with the heavy, echoing thud of a large book slamming shut.)
