The Weight On My Shoulder (version 2)

Intro

Horns of Ribe, blood on the stone

I was a name they whispered in the North when I walked alone

Verse 1

Ten-year apprentice — blacksmith's son — iron breath and borrowed coal

Every scrap that came through the gate made my father proud like gold

Watched him count his hours by candlelight, watched him shape what the fire would take

Never said no to a broken sword because every blade still carries its name

Pre-Chorus

One man's skill — not the size of your fist

A shield doesn't have weight if it don't know where it sits

Chorus

I carry the weight on my shoulder, never let it settle

Every name that came to me still walking when I settled

Horns and embers in my chest, every debt gets paid by myself

Verse 2

Jarl's son broke into my forge under cover of the storm — three men deep behind a torch-lit door

I handed him the anvil instead of the hammer — told him that was his weight to hold

Said every scar I keep is the weight that stays when you don't answer what you're owed

Pre-Chorus

One man's skill — not the size of your fist

A shield doesn't have weight if it don't know where it sits

Chorus

I carry the weight on my shoulder, never let it settle

Every name that came to me still walking when I settled

Horns and embers in my chest, every debt gets paid by myself

Bridge

No one asks who you owe before they call your name

Just whether you're ready when the fire comes again

I don't wear a crown but the ground remembers the name

Some men rule kingdoms — some just learn to bear the frame

Chorus

I carry the weight on my shoulder, never let it settle

Every name that came to me still walking when I settled

Horns and embers in my chest, every debt gets paid by myself