The Debt Collector (version 2)

Verse

Wolves ran through the fjord while I stood at the gate

Chasing what I already owned — nothing but weight.

The wind it howled with a voice of its own

Every debt it collected was mine, and alone.

No silver, no sword, just breath turned to frost

Paid in full every time before the cost.

I called it a curse, but some men call it pride

The only thing heavier than my own stride.

Pre-Chorus

So tell me — what's a man who owns nothing still owes?

Is it his name or is it his breath in this cold?

Every debt that’s mine is one I don’t repay

Because the winter already paid it back, every way.

Chorus

I collect the winters, not the gold at hand

The debt collector stands where all men stand — blank.

No purse to fill when there's nothing left to spend

Just frost on my knuckles and an empty friend.

Verse 2

Snow fell heavy as the words I never said

Weight that no man carries — only what he bled.

I stood where the river split from the sea

Every drop of it was just me, just me.

The current pulled but I never gave in

Said my name is silence, let the cold come in.

No crown, no banner, just a debt so deep it's old

Paid for free in every wind that turned to gold.

Pre-Chorus

So tell me — what's a man who owns nothing still owes?

Is it his name or is it his breath in this cold?

Every debt that’s mine is one I don’t repay

Because the winter already paid it back, every way.

Chorus

I collect the winters, not the gold at hand

The debt collector stands where all men stand — blank.

No purse to fill when there's nothing left to spend

Just frost on my knuckles and an empty friend.

Bridge

I used to swear I'd break before I would bend

Now I just laugh every time that winter sends.

Because the only thing heavier than my own name is me

Not what’s owed, but what stays, unfreed — free.

I owe nothing — I collect it instead

Collecting winters till the whole sky’s full and fed.

No gold to count when every breath repays

Just ice in my beard and a debt that won’t pay off, never pays.

Outro

So tell me — what's a man who owns nothing still owes?

Is it his name or is it his breath in this cold?

Every debt that’s mine is one I don’t repay

Because the winter already paid it back, every way