Verse
Granddad's forge sat behind the church, chimney cracked like a rib
Bellows wheezed each morning, coal dust in his lid
Made the horseshoes for the sheriff, hinges for the widow's door
Never charged the poor a nickel, kept his count with something more
Hands like leather maps, burn scars in a row
Said the iron don't forgive you, it just teaches you to grow
House stayed cold at Christmas, drafts under every seam
He warmed the whole damn county, slept beneath a thin, thin sheet
Pre-Chorus
I asked him once why he never kept none for himself
He said the forge don't hoard the heat, it gives it or it melts
Told me legacy's the ash that outlives the flame
Question is what you build with the burn, or just the blame
Chorus
Hearth keeps the room but iron holds the door
I built a hundred houses, slept on none of the floors
His coal still burns in my chest like a second name
Warm hands, cold house — that's the weight I claim
Verse
Now I'm forty stories up, torch bright as a struck match
Welding rebar joints while the wind tries to unlatch
My grip off the beam, harness thin as his old sheet
Same trade, different flame, still don't get to keep the heat
Boss calls it overtime, I call it my inheritance
Every joint I seal's a promise wearing different clothes
Come home smelling like the forge, my daughter hugs the smoke
Says daddy why you always cold, I say warmth's a debt I owe
Pre-Chorus
She asked me why I never keep none for myself
I told her the trade don't hoard the heat, it gives or it melts
Same words my granddad said now living in my mouth
Guess the family debt's the only thing that don't burn out
Chorus
Hearth keeps the room but iron holds the door
I built a hundred houses, slept on none of the floors
His coal still burns in my chest like a second name
Warm hands, cold house — that's the weight I claim
Bridge
They don't put blacksmiths on the money or the wall
No statue for the hands that kept the whole town from the fall
Every gate still standing's got his fingerprint in rust
Legend ain't the noise you make, it's the warmth you leave in trust
I'm breaking one thing, though — my daughter gets the heat
First fire that was ever mine, first floor beneath her feet
Chorus
Hearth ke
