Ravens at the gate (version 3)

Verse

I'm a child of the mist, born where the mountains sleep

Said I'd never run — that was when my grandfather spoke

Ravens at the gate now — they're here to wake

The ash on his lips turned silver in the fire's rake

He told me of the shield and how it stood alone

Against all the armies, against every stone

His eyes went darker with each breath he took

And I knew then that I would never speak as he spoke

Pre-Chorus

Tell me now if this is something to be told

Or just a life that's ending like the autumn's fold

Am I born to walk in his footsteps or not

Is this a story that will only end in rot

Chorus

Ravens at the gate — come for the weight

Ravens at the gate — it's time to pay my debt

I'll take the spear from him — though I don't know what it means

The ash on his lips turns silver, like a hundred silent screams

Let the ravens come and tell me where I'm bound

Let them speak for the silence that's been waiting around

Ravens at the gate — come for the weight

Ravens at the gate — time to take my fate

Verse

I took the shield from him, though it felt like lead

Every step I took, every path he'd tread

He told me of the fire that burned through his chest

Of all the battles and how they left him unrest

He said I'm ready now but I don't know what this means

Just a child of the mist with a shield that's been used and cleansed

I'll walk out into the snow — though every step feels wrong

And if the ravens come for me, then I'll take up my song

Pre-Chorus

Tell me now if this is something to be told

Or just a life that's ending like the autumn's fold

Am I born to walk in his footsteps or not

Is this a story that will only end in rot

Chorus

Ravens at the gate — come for the weight

Ravens at the gate — it's time to pay my debt

I'll take the spear from him — though I don't know what it means

The ash on his lips turns silver, like a hundred silent screams

Let the ravens come and tell me where I'm bound

Let them speak for the silence that's been waiting around

Ravens at the gate — come for the weight

Ravens at the gate — time to take my fate

Bridge

I don't need to know why — just hold this shield up high

Just walk in front of these ravens until I ask them why

Don't need your story or how it came to be

Just walk with me, grandfather, into eternity

You taught me how to hold the spear and keep my eyes steady

Now teach me how to go quietly — that's what you used to say

Chorus

Ravens at the gate — come for the weight

Ravens at the gate — it's time to pay my debt

I'll take the spear from him — though I don't know what it means

The ash on his lips turns silver, like a hundred silent screams

Let the ravens come and tell me where I'm bound

Let them speak for the silence that's been waiting around

Ravens at the gate — come for the weight

Ravens at the gate — time to take my fate

Outro

The ravens are here — now it's up to you

Whether you stay silent like all the others did too