Fire & Shadow
Lyrics · Side A / RavenVerse 1
Cold glass against my forehead
Old smoke caught inside my coat
You watch me build an exit
From words I never spoke
I say you’ll travel safer
If I don’t share the road
You let the silence finish
Then tell me who it hurts
Pre-Chorus
You know the trick before I turn it
The clean excuse, the careful cut
I call the distance shelter
You name the damage done
Chorus
Go before the fire breaks loose
Go before the shadow wears my shape
I can keep you safe by losing you
That’s the lie I hand to you
So go—leave the door unclosed
Let the cold come through
I send you away to save you
And come apart without you
Verse 2
Your steel lies on the table
My hands stay out of sight
You hear the change beneath my voice
Before I know it’s there
You ask me what I’m hiding
I give you smoke and blame
You don’t waste time believing me
You just say my name
Pre-Chorus
You know the trick before I turn it
The clean excuse, the careful cut
I call the distance shelter
You name the damage done
Chorus
Go before the fire breaks loose
Go before the shadow wears my shape
I can keep you safe by losing you
That’s the lie I hand to you
So go—leave the door unclosed
Let the cold come through
I send you away to save you
And come apart without you
Bridge
I thought an empty room would spare you
It only gave the fire more air
Every road I take without you
Finds your footsteps waiting there
Ghost, when I tell you not to follow
You hear the fear beneath it
I could be the hand that saves you
I could be the reason you bleed
Final Chorus
Go before the fire breaks loose
Go before the shadow wears my shape
I can keep you safe by losing you
That’s the lie I hand to you
Still, go—leave the door unclosed
Let the cold come through
If your footsteps turn back toward me
I won’t ask you why
Smoke still buried in my clothing
Steel still waiting at your side
I send you away to save you
And come apart without you
Outro
Cold glass
Smoke in my coat
Your steps in the hall
I don’t turn
I don’t tell you
Which way to go