Black Roses and Crows - Raven Blackthorn

[Verse 1]

I been talkin’ to the dark again

Like it’s kin, like it’s shelter

On my knees in splintered pews

With a heart that won’t stay held together

Candle smoke in my lungs

Stained glass bleedin’ on the floor

Every “amen” tastes like ash

Every prayer comes back for more

[Pre-Chorus]

Hear that low bell in my ribs

Hear that warning in the wind

If I’m gonna die in this ruin

I’ll die and come back again

[Chorus]

I burn in cathedral fire

Black roses in my hands

I was born in the heartbreak

But I’m built for the vengeance

Crows up in the rafters

Watch me crawl, watch me stand

If the dark wants a war

I’ll be the last one breathin’—

I burn in cathedral fire

Black roses in my hands

[Verse 2]

There’s a voice in my skull

With my name in its teeth

Says, “You ain’t nothin’ but a scar,”

Says, “You’ll never get free”

I been wearin’ leather boots

Through the mud of my past

Every step like a promise

That the weak part won’t last

[Pre-Chorus 2]

I don’t need your mercy now

I don’t need your holy lies

I got thunder in my bloodline

And a blade behind my eyes

[Chorus]

I burn in cathedral fire

Black roses in my hands

I was born in the heartbreak

But I’m built for the vengeance

Crows up in the rafters

Watch me crawl, watch me stand

If the dark wants a war

I’ll be the last one breathin’—

I burn in cathedral fire

Black roses in my hands

[Bridge] [drop to near-whisper, then build]

Let it hurt—yeah, let it cut me

Let it show me what I’m made of

I kissed the edge of my ending

And I spit the taste of blood

Now the organ starts growlin’

And the floorboards start to shake

I don’t run from my demons—

I drag ‘em out into daylight

[Final Chorus] [bigger, choir/organ, full belt]

I burn in cathedral fire

Black roses in my hands

I was born in the heartbreak

But I’m built for the vengeance

Crows up in the rafters

Now they scatter when I stand

If the dark wants a war

I’ll be the last one breathin’—

I burn in cathedral fire

Black roses in my hands

[Outro] [half-sung, half-spoken]

Ash on my tongue…

but I’m still here.

Boots on the wood…

and I'm still breathing!