The Tide, the Thief & River’s End

Here and now it ends We don't remember the first crack But we will all recall the flood There go the edges, son, just you wait I never thought that we would go this way We stand at the edge and watch the whole world Crash around our feet This is more than each of us This will be the end of us now I swear it, believe me This is more than each of us This will be the end of us now I swear it, believe me Just one word And "Welcome home" was all we heard Through bars we built ourselves They've already won Just one word And welcome home the empty herd She always said, "I won't believe it, you've found your voice, now let me hear it" We left the tyrant, now undone Drowning at his river's end We turned our feet to run The words had called us, son We knew the world could end by just one Just one word And "Welcome home" was all we heard Through bars we built ourselves They'd already won Just one word We should have known the empty herd She always said that we would soon forget But there's one word left in the box yet As stone turns to dust around us This gift to afterthought brings her own weaknesses Opening the prison door comes as no consolation to us standing here at the end There go the edges, son There go the edges, son There go the edges, son We stand at the edge and watch the whole world Crash around our feet This is more than each of us This will be the end of us now I swear it, believe me This is more than each of us This will be the end of us now I swear it Just one word And "Welcome home" was all we heard Through bars we built ourselves They've already won Just one word And welcome home the empty herd She always said, "I won't believe it, you've found your voice, now let me hear it" Hope Hope No consolation to us standing here at the end Hope Hope Hope When the world is quiet Just a whisper breaks your rest

Submitted by Sexy Gargoyle — Feb 11, 2026

Cool water Lay, lay yourself down Deep, silent Let, let yourself drown Bathe in the light as morning brings us home Light gives way to gravity (Centre me) (Water's edge) Look for me (Water's edge) Released Cool water Lay, lay yourself down Deep, silent Let, let yourself drown To the fray you pay no mind But the blood we share dispels disguise You're weak and human, just as lost as I Try and stand against the tide Your grip on all they know begins to slide Repeat the words, "I'm fine" Just know they're blameless in all of this But still content to walk on broken glass beside him To just let go To walk away unscathed as others stay to take the fall Choice it fades, compassion guides Through the flames of selfless suffering, you stride The weight will pull you down in time In their vacant, open eyes You'll find no empathy behind their smiles Without control, survive Just know they're blameless in all of this But still content to walk on broken glass beside him To just let go To walk away unscathed as others stay to take the fall (We spit truth like fire) Break your bonds and hear me (I have) I have heard your words and I am unchanged Walls of wood and stone fall (We are) we are of words, we spit truth like fire

Submitted by Sexy Gargoyle — Feb 11, 2026

Gently waking, a final skyward sigh Please, send me safely home It's almost time, goodbye Lay me down The ocean at my window Here I find myself again All broken bones and eyes that wear their age Like "going home" is etched on every page Fragile Atlas He carries that old smile He will stay his weary arms To just lay down a while Lay me down The ocean at my window Here I find myself again All broken bones and eyes that wear their age Like "going home" is etched on every page No, won't accept that's the way I go (By my) quiet hand, sinking slow Won't accept that's the way it ends (Won't you) stay like stone and mend I'll wear the words like Atlas Never said the day I chose to stay And I wish I could have shared A fraction of the peace that I found then My friend The ocean at my window Here I find myself again All broken bones and eyes that wear their age Like "going home" is etched on every page

Submitted by Sexy Gargoyle — Feb 11, 2026

Into the white The scent of fire behind First steps to freedom Are lighter than we ever knew Called through the cold We hold our daughters close And sing to our sons "Change will surely come" Into the white Broken faith leaves scars behind We embrace them And carry broken shackles by our side Called through the cold We hold our daughters close And sing to our sons "Change will surely come" We left our prayers with our old gods White hand, release Leaves in the fading smoke So easy to forget The voice that never spoke Walking our own road Each step, each breath We are fighting for our lives and we are losing every one The things we gave up for a dream we are still waiting for And still we hold on In time Into the white The road is mine and I am his Our last steps as free men And proud at the end It comes to this Called through the cold Road to a home we'll never know We gave to our sons A heavy, burdened hope We left our prayers with our old gods Hold on till dawn Lost like our steps in snow So easy to forget the way The road we make, we own Walking our own road Each step, each breath We are fighting for our lives and we are losing every one The things we gave up for a dream we are still waiting for We were so young then Firelight holds their peace Sing a farewell by smoke in the cold We farewell the old as they fall As they fall into silence Fall As they fall to silence Fall Into silence, silence As they fall to silence, to silence

Submitted by Sexy Gargoyle — Feb 11, 2026

We will, I will remember the flood We will, I will remember the flood We will, I will remember the flood We will, I will remember the flood We will, I will remember the flood We will, I will remember the flood

Submitted by Sexy Gargoyle — Feb 11, 2026

Down It was his neck or her wrist Clean nails on iron fist Dreams of peace beyond the wall She'd cry out for mercy but she had no voice at all Here Here and now it ends This quiet victory, her promise she would make amends He lay not yet cold on the ground This day of all days she would wear her dark hair down This time the wheel has come around Free of her cage she crows with a fearless sound "Your fists can't hurt me now" A fearless sound She'll wear her dark hair down Down Down And blood brought the answer that time could not provide Scars that read like home could hide Her prison swallowed everything but piercing open eyes She, she proudly bore the mark where his brand had met her head She, she spat, "The coward could not kill what was already dead" Dark hair down This time the wheel has come around Free of her cage, a fearless sound Stand and fight This is my salvation Blood for blood, my love With a fearless sound "Your fists can't hurt me now" A fearless sound She'll wear her dark hair down Down Blood for blood, my love

Submitted by Sexy Gargoyle — Feb 11, 2026

We stood at the edge and watched the world crash around us Turned our backs and from the wreckage ran Watched another river end Shadows of the light you gave us I say my last goodbye To the faces that made me strong One last time

Submitted by Sexy Gargoyle — Feb 11, 2026

When the world is quiet, just a whisper breaks your rest, your rest Peace Reach for the light Like a child Desperate grip on the passing breeze Cling to peace Close to your chest There's cracks in your voice as we sing "When the world is quiet, just a whisper breaks your rest" Wait "Give me the child, I'll give you the man," they say No We'll walk through fire to fight you Asleep or awake It's not the simple sacrifice you planned No Now wait by the wall, let them come Here I stand Here I stand (I stand, I stand) Peace Run while you can Rising hands, speaking a language we all understand Forget peace The lie didn't take, you won't break The spirit, a martyr, the mind has freed Forget peace The stars were just beacons then They will make amends Color to his eyes Let the light pour in, oh We've already lost enough time to shadows And damned ourselves to empty oaths we wear like broken glass to make us whole I wait "Give me the child, I'll give you the man," they say No We'll walk through fire to fight you Asleep or awake It's not the simple sacrifice you planned No Now wait by the wall, let them come Here I stand Here Out of my cage Free Out of this place Finally Let them come Here Out of my cage Free Out of this place Finally Hand in hand with our own This is our home, this is our home Let our sign say, "Let them come and meet their end" Now the world is quiet This is where we make our stand, our stand

Submitted by Sexy Gargoyle — Feb 11, 2026