Runes In The Frost

[Intro] [low vocal register][barely sung] White breath Black bark Steel edge First mark [Verse 1] Snow packed hard under bone-worn boots Pine smoke curling in a thin gray thread Antler knife in a calloused hand Old words coiled at the back of my neck Fur hood heavy with last year’s storms Ash on my tongue Iron on my teeth I press the blade to the frozen trunk Hear the heart of the mountain breathe [Chorus] Runes in the frost Cut slow Cut deep Name what is lost Wake what still sleeps Blood on the bark Fire in the vein Runes in the frost I carve your name [Verse 2] Cold drum Three beats Then silence Crow cry Splits the sky in two You stand still Wrapped in smoke and questions I draw lines Until the lines draw you Sap and red mix in a single drop Steam rises where it meets the wound Your shadow bends with the shifting grain Your fate rearranged by the groove [Chorus] [Bridge] [chanting Layered low male voices] One for the breath One for the bone One for the path Under the stone [spoken Almost a growl] Knot of the storm Teeth of the wave Root of the wolf Guard what I gave [Chorus] [Outro] [tagelharpa and nyckelharpa drone Distant throat chant] Snow keeps falling Covering tracks Not signs Tree keeps holding Every cut Every line