We woke up in shadow, the crossing is done No memory of morning, no need for the sun The ashes we carried have blown from our skin The border is sealed and we’re locked safely in There’s no weeping of neighbors, no sirens to wail Just the quietest wind sweeping over the trail I reached for your hand in the absolute grey And smiled as the last of the world fell away. (Chorus) Welcome to the kingdom where the oceans are black We tore down the bridge and we ain't going back We left all the saints to their blinding white light And built our own house in the deep of the night Where the stars never burn and the shadows run deep This is the dark side of heaven, forever to keep. (Verse 2) There are no gilded mansions, no streets made of gold Just an endless expanse of the beautiful cold The timber stands silent, untroubled by flame In a wilderness stretching without any name They told us eternity had to be earned With endless devotions while everything burned But the truth of it is, there’s no ledger or toll Just a sanctuary carved for the wandering soul. (Bridge) (The tempo slows, driven by a steady, low, rhythmic acoustic beat—mimicking a calm heartbeat rather than the frantic pulse of the first track) Sometimes I look back at the tear in the sky Where the old firmament went to stagger and die I don't miss the ticking of clocks on the wall I don't miss the terror of waiting to fall We traded the chorus of judgment and dread For the absolute peace of the comfortable dead. (Guitar Solo) (Stripped down, resonant, and deliberate. Each note rings out fully before the next begins, emphasizing the vast emptiness of the space.) (Verse 3) So gather the shadows and pull up a chair There is infinite time in the still, frozen air We’ll write our own story in silver and bone A history meant for the exiled alone No angels to witness, no masters to please Just the ancient, dark forest and ancient, dark trees You promised you’d follow me into the shade And this is the permanent promise we made. (Chorus) Welcome to the kingdom where the oceans are black We tore down the bridge and we ain't going back We left all the saints to their blinding white light And built our own house in the deep of the night Where the stars never burn and the shadows run deep This is the dark side of heaven, forever to keep. (Outro) The promise we made. No more counting the hours. No more waiting for grace. We finally found our own space. The dark side of heaven. Forever to keep. (The music doesn't fade out this time; it resolves on one final, grounded, heavy chord that echoes and holds until absolute silence returns.)
