Verse
Brazier smoke curls up the alley wall
Orange coals passed hand to hand to all
Old man's fingers warm above the flame
He hums a rhythm older than his name
My wrist remembers heat it never learned
A hundred winters folded, still it burns
I cup my palms above the glowing red
Feel the pulse move from my chest to my head
Pre-Chorus
Something lit before I got here
Passed through skin, through blood, through years
Every beat a spark that's older
I carry fire on my shoulder
Chorus
Ember in the bloodline, burning slow
Ember in the bloodline, tells me go
Feet on the concrete, hands to the sky
Ember in the bloodline never dies
Verse
Streetlight hums where the circle forms
Bodies swaying, keeping strangers warm
Coal cart rattles down the sleeping road
Every drumbeat carries what it's owed
Grandmother's shawl still smells of that same smoke
I dance the steps before she ever spoke
The coals go dim but something stays awake
Deep in my chest, a flame I didn't make
Pre-Chorus
Something lit before I got here
Passed through skin, through blood, through years
Every beat a spark that's older
I carry fire on my shoulder
Chorus
Ember in the bloodline, burning slow
Ember in the bloodline, tells me go
Feet on the concrete, hands to the sky
Ember in the bloodline never dies
Bridge
Hand to hand, the coal keeps living
Hand to hand, the warmth keeps giving
Nobody owns this fire alone
It moves through us and calls us home
Chorus
Ember in the bloodline, burning slow
Ember in the bloodline, tells me go
Feet on the concrete, hands to the sky
Ember in the bloodline never dies
