Verse
Coal drum burning by the courtyard gate
Smoke curls up where the old ones wait
Ash on my shoulder, soft grey bloom
Amber light spills from the shebeen room
Bottle caps pressed in the concrete floor
Someone's grandmother swept this before
Braai smoke folding into the beat
Embers glowing where I plant my feet
Pre-Chorus
Can you feel the fire climbing
Up my spine to my open hands
Every spark got its own timing
Older rhythm than I understand
Chorus
Ash and amber, moving through me
Ash and amber, burning slow
Ash and amber, moving through me
Feet in the coal light, letting go
Verse
Corner store sign hums a dying red
Uncle's laughter where the coals are fed
Waist remembers what the fire taught
Circle closing round the heat we brought
Paint peels soft off the courtyard wall
Bass climbs low where the embers fall
Grandfather's cough in the smoke tonight
Still he's dancing in the amber light
Pre-Chorus
Can you feel the fire climbing
Up my spine to my open hands
Every spark got its own timing
Older rhythm than I understand
Chorus
Ash and amber, moving through me
Ash and amber, burning slow
Ash and amber, moving through me
Feet in the coal light, letting go
Bridge
Grey on my collarbone, warm on my chest
Every ancestor leaning on my breath
The fire don't ask if I'm ready or not
It just keeps burning where the drum is hot
Chorus
Ash and amber, moving through me
Ash and amber, burning slow
Ash and amber, moving through me
Feet in the coal light, letting go
