Shadows and Dust

Am  C  E7  Am

Am                        Dm
I wake up in shadows, the sun won't come through
         Am                           E
There's a war in my mirror, and I'm losing it too
         Dm                      Dm
I've carried these chains that no one can see
        Am                        C
Each scar has a name, and they all live in me

       F                      E
Yeah, I've stood in the fire, with no end in sight
         Am              C           E7
Now I'm tired of the battle, tired of the fight

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       Am                        Dm
I bled out my mornings for strangers and kin
         Am                           E
Poured myself empty till there's nothing within
         Dm                      Dm
They walk their own roads, never look back to see
        Am                    C
If I'm still standing or down on my knees

       F                      E
Maybe they think I'm too strong to fall down
         Am              C           E7
Or maybe they just don't care if I drown

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       Am                           Dm
I fought with the wind over which way it blew
        Am                          E
Boxed with my shadow till my knuckles turned blue
        Dm                         Dm
Won medals of fog for the wars in my head
        Am                           C
While the real fight was waiting, I fought ghosts instead

       F                   E
Every battle I won was a loss in disguise
        Am              C             E7
Collecting dead trophies while the living passed by

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       Am                           Dm  
I planted my troubles in fields made of stone  
        Am                          E  
Watered them daily 'til the roots had all grown  
        Dm                         Dm  
But the harvest was empty, just dust in the hand  
        Am                           E7  
A kingdom of nothing on a throne made of sand  

       F                           E  
I thought I was building a crown for my head  
        Am              C             E7  
But the jewels were just glass and the gold turned to lead

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       Am                   Dm
I sharpened my arrows for targets long gone
        Am                  E
Practiced my speeches to an audience of one
        Dm                     Dm
Built bridges to nowhere with all that I am
        Am                    C
Now I'm spent like money in a beggar's hand

       F                      E
All that careful construction just scaffolding air
        Am              C             E7
I was architect-king of a kingdom not there

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       Am                           Dm  
I carried my sorrows in baskets of clay  
        Am                            E  
Every crack in the handle gave my secrets away  
        Dm                          Dm  
I walked like a beggar with treasure inside  
        Am                             C  
But the silver was ashes and the pearls only pride  

       F                           E  
Now the weight that I bore was no heavier than air  
        Am               C              E7  
Still I bowed to its burden as if it were there

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       Am                           Dm
The shadows keep whispering until I'm too tired
        Am                            E
That hope is just kindling you throw on the fire
        Dm                          Dm
And prayers are just letters that get lost in the mail
        Am                             C
While the devil keeps laughing at the twist in the tale

       F                           E
So I'm done with the waiting for some sky-bound relief
        Am               C              E7
If salvation's still coming, I'll be too numb to receive

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       Am                          Dm
They promise white gates where the weary find rest
        Am                             E
But what if it's silence—just dirt on your chest?
        Dm                          Dm
So if heaven's still coming, it'll find me at work
        Am                           C
With dirt on my shoulders and blood on my shirt

       F                           E
When the savior shows up, I'll be halfway to done
        Am              C             E7
Been losing to demons that I should have outrun

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       Am                           Dm
Now the mirror shows clearer—it's just me and my bones
        Am                          E
No cavalry coming, no angels, no thrones
        Dm                          Dm
Just the weight of this breathing and the clock on the wall
        Am                            C
And I'll take standing broken over dying in crawl

       F                           E
If there's nothing past dying but the worms and the dirt
        Am              C             E7
Then I'll bleed while I'm breathing—squeeze gold from the hurt

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       Am                            Dm
So I'll dig through this darkness with my hands full of clay
        Am                          E
Building roads out of rubble when there's no other way
        Dm                          Dm
Every scar is a lesson that I learned how to read
        Am                         C
And I'll harvest the ashes till I find what I need

       F                           E
When the last bell stops ringing and they lower me down
        Am              C              E7
I'll have wrestled my demons till they ran out of town

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       Am                           Dm
Maybe heaven's a rumor that the desperate believe
        Am                          E
Maybe hell is just Tuesday with no tricks up your sleeve
        Dm                          Dm
But I'm here with my heartbeat and these words on my tongue
        Am                           C
And the battle ain't over till the last song is sung

       F                           E
So I'll stand in this fire with my fists clenched tight
        Am              C             E7
Not today, brother death—I've still got some fight

Am  C  E7  Am
Am  C  E7  Am