Verse 1 Extreme heat, heavy pressure Melted steel around my skin Hard on the outside, Lord knows It never softened what’s within This body and mind been tested By the grind of borrowed time Came out weaker, came out stronger Somewhere crossed that crooked line Verse 2 I’ve walked through wages of war Paid in blood and broken vows Seen some things I can’t forget Still see ‘em when I close my eyes now Some memories come back laughing Some come back just to cut They rattle like loose shells inside me Like rusted scars on iron and gut Chorus But I keep marching on Through the blood, sweat, and tears Every dawn’s a quiet reminder Of the oaths and the fears Yeah, my heart’s been torn wide open By the lines that I swore The wages of war keep calling Lord, they always want more Verse 3 I hear the echoes of my brothers Drifting through my mind at night Ghostly hands upon my shoulders Pulling me toward the light Or maybe toward the edge of nothing Whispering I’ve had my run Some days I don’t know which way’s up Some nights I’m loaded with a gun Verse 4 I fight depression and my anger With a bottle and a pill Lying awake for endless hours Waiting on a sudden chill Every promise feels like bait now Every hope comes with a knife I’ve been gambling with my spirit Just to make it through this life Chorus Still I keep marching on Through the blood, sweat, and tears Every dawn’s a quiet reminder Of the oaths and the fears Yeah, my heart’s been torn wide open By the lines that I swore The wages of war keep calling Lord, they always want more Bridge (Gospel lift) But my spirit, bruised and tattered Still reaches for the flame Looking for some kind of meaning Looking for a name In the sleepless dark of midnight When the shadows have their say I hear a voice that keeps on telling me Child, don’t fade away Final Chorus So I keep marching on Though the road don’t bend The bravest live in shadows Fighting wars that never end And when my final breath meets That last red sinking sun The battle in my bones may rest Even if it’s never won Outro Yeah, the wages of war are living They don’t fade, they don’t stay dead They walk beside the weary souls Where angels fear to tread

Echoes of my past