Brothers in Dust

[Verse 1]
We were just kids in the crossfire
Laughing at the danger like it can’t find us
Now it’s quiet in the seats where my friends sat
Names carved in the desk, I still tap that
Brothers in dust
Same blood, same bus, then the brakes cut
I can smell that night when I close my eyes
Metal in my mouth, someone else’s cries
They call it lucky that I lived through
But every mirror in the house says I killed you
Every heartbeat, every flash, every siren
Got a graveyard walking round inside me
[Chorus]
Brothers in dust, I still hear you calling
Adrenaline rush, now I just feel falling
Survivor’s guilt, it’s a weight, it’s a coffin
Internal demons screaming in the silence, often
Loss in my lungs, I breathe that trauma
Paralyzed soul, playing dead in the drama
Hollow in the chest where my heart got spilled
I ain’t scared of death, I’m scared I never heal (never heal)
[Verse 2]
Therapist asking me the same things
“Tell me how you feel” — I don’t feel a thing
I just see your shoes in the hospital light
Mud on the laces that never got wiped
Mom saying “baby, it was not your fault”
But I was the one who said “let’s go, come on”
Every joke that night is a sharpened blade
Every “it’ll be fine” is a bad charade
I got ghosts in my throat when I try to pray
Got a life on lease that I didn’t pay
If I smile in a photo, it twists my gut
How can I move on when you’re still stuck?
[Chorus]
Brothers in dust, I still hear you calling
Adrenaline rush, now I just feel falling
Survivor’s guilt, it’s a weight, it’s a coffin
Internal demons screaming in the silence, often
Loss in my lungs, I breathe that trauma
Paralyzed soul, playing dead in the drama
Hollow in the chest where my heart got spilled
I ain’t scared of death, I’m scared I never heal (never heal)
[Bridge]
I keep your jacket on the same old chair
Can’t wash the stain, can’t scrub the air
If I let go, does it mean I forget?
If I forgive myself, is that disrespect?
So I run in place, on this burning wheel
Chasing every pain just to prove it’s real
If I ever find peace, if the noise goes still
Will you hate me for it
Or would you want me to live?

rap, Dark cinematic rap with heavy, detuned piano octaves and hard, spacious drums; verses start almost whisper-rapped then swell into feral, double-time intensity. Sparse low strings and distant choirs creep in on the hook, adding dread. Aggressive male vocals with layered ad-libs on key punchlines; mix pushes the lead vocal raw and upfront with wide, shadowy reverb tails.