(Intro)
[Clean electric guitar arpeggio, bass hum; vocals intimate]
I walked through windows of dimmed streetlight, footsteps thin as blame
I fed the dark with every quiet night — the dragon learned to breathe my flame
(Verse 1)
It curled beneath my ribs, a coal that learned to roar
It ate my radio, my laughter, kept the keys behind its door
I drew the curtains tighter, learned the language of the cold
A shadow-dragon lived in me — mouth of ash, and eyes of old
(Pre-Chorus)
[Snare rolls in, tension rising]
Then you showed up on the corner of my worst and better days
A small hand, a sideways grin, and suddenly the smoke gave way
(Chorus 1)
[Freight-train drums slam; distorted guitar hook slices under vowels]
You struck a match inside my chest and watched the dark rescind
You handed me a skyline — taught my frightened heart to mend
From the cavern of that dragon's den
You made me light again
(Verse 2)
[Drop to quiet: soft guitar, whispered cymbal; intimate delivery]
When my heart was fractured, scattered glass in every room
Your laugh came like a lighthouse beam, your words cut through the gloom
Your voice came like radio through static nights and broken lines
You kept me sitting at your table, one warm cup at a time
(Pre-Chorus 2)
[Bass comes back; build begins]
You didn't fight the monster — you learned how to sing it back to sleep
You leaned into my darkness, planted seeds I keep
(Chorus 2 - Progression)
[Full band; harmony on the last line]
You struck a match inside my chest and watched the embers grow
You taught these trembling fingers how to feed a steady glow
From the cavern of that dragon's den
You made the light stay in
(Bridge)
[Guitar drops to staccato, then a rising lead — vocal climbs]
I remember breathing smoke, swallowing the night like oath
It tasted like defeat, like every promise that I broke
I used to trade my mornings for the ash the beast would send
I used to breathe its smoke — now I breathe your air, my friend
(Bridge - Climactic build)
[Drums double-time, guitars grind; shout at the peak]
No more claws across my back, no more chains in bone and skin
We tore the dark to ribbons — the light crept silently in
(Guitar Solo)
[Distorted lead wails over a chugging rhythm; a brief, righteous cry of sound]
(Final Chorus - Affirmation)
[Big, open arrangement; gang vocals on final line]
You struck a match inside my chest and set the night to flame
You taught me how to steward fire — now it carries my own name
From the cavern of that dragon's den
Now I keep the light again
(Outro)
[Pull back to the clean arpeggio; a single sustained guitar note fades]
Yeah, with you the horizon cuts the dark, a seam of bright refrain
You stood with me when embers fell — now I am light again
(Production Notes - rock cues)
- Verse 1: dry, intimate electric guitar with slight reverb; low, patient bass
- Pre-chorus: snare rolls and rising toms to build momentum
- Chorus: freight-train drum hit, distorted guitar hook doubled with harmony
- Verse
