Steel and Second Chances

[Verse 1]
Woke up on a tavern floor
Rust on my mail
Taste of war
Old scars tight as a gauntlet’s grip
Hands still shake when I flex this fist
They said I swung before I could speak
All iron
Little thought
Too proud
Too weak
But you found me there beside the fire
Called me "friend" instead of "hire"
[Chorus]
This is my path
Steel and second chances
Blood on my hands
You still take my hand
I swing for you when my own courage falters
Raise my shield till my cracked knuckles bleed
If I stand
Then we stand
That's the only strength I need
[Verse 2]
You
With your book full of burning stars
You
With your god and your stubborn heart
You
Laughing loud
Knives up your sleeve
How did a blade like me learn to breathe?
Every fall
I count my sins
Every win
I think it’s them
But when the charge hits like a storm
Your voices pull me back to form
[Chorus]
This is my path
Steel and second chances
Blood on my hands
You still take my hand
I swing for you when my own courage falters
Raise my shield till my cracked knuckles bleed
If I stand
Then we stand
That's the only strength I need
[Bridge]
I was just weight
Metal and hate
Now I’m your wall
I’m your last mistake (hey!)
If I go down
Drag me to my knees
I’ll rise again
On your belief
[Chorus]
This is our path
Scars and second chances
Blood on our hands
We still join our hands
I swing for you when my own courage falters
You hold the line when my heartbeat speeds
If we stand
Then we stand
That’s the only strength we need (oh-oh)
If we stand
Then we stand
That’s the only strength we need

Cinematic folk-rock with male vocals; fingerpicked acoustic guitar under verse storytelling, then tom-driven, halftime groove for the chorus. Warm upright bass and fiddle double key melodies, electric guitar swells in the bridge. Vocal stacks enter on the title line for an anthemic lift, light gang chants from the “party” in final chorus.