[Intro]
Wind through the pines carries old smoke still
Sirens fade but the memory kills
Twenty-four years and the hole don't close
For the ones who ran when the fire rose
[Verse 1]
Tuesday morning blue sky turned to ash
Planes hit the towers in a hellish flash
Folks trapped high callin' home one last time
Firefighters geared up crossed that line
Engine 54 Ladder 4 Battalion 9
Fifteen brothers lost in the climb
They knew the stairs might be one-way out
But they pulled people free no room for doubt
[Chorus]
Never forget the names we whisper low
343 gone in the embers' glow
Families left holdin' empty chairs
Kids growin' up without their prayers
Have you felt that ache in your chest
When the world stopped and we all confessed
We were broken but together we stood
For the heroes who did what they could
[Verse 2]
Ladder 3 climbed forty floors of flame
Captain Paddy Brown callin' out names
Engine 10 Ladder 10 at Ground Zero ground
Six more brothers never made the sound
Of comin' home to wives and little ones
Left with photos letters and the sun
That rises quiet on a city scarred
But their love and loss hit twice as hard
[Bridge]
Time tries to blur the edges of pain
Makes us numb to the sacrifice chain
But remember the widows the kids the tears
The community born from those fears
We owe 'em our stories our endless thanks
For runnin' in when the whole world sank
[Final Chorus]
Never forget the names we carry on
343 lights in the break of dawn
Families survivin' keepin' the flame
Teach the next ones never the same
Have you felt that pull in your soul
When the bells toll and the stories roll
We were broken but their courage mends
Firefighters forever our friends
[Outro]
Yeah... in the quiet when the night gets deep
Hear the echoes of the promise they keep
Never forget never let it fade
Heroes of 9/11 in the light they made