[Intro]
In the hush before the morning
One old eye watched the world begin
[Verse 1]
He walked where winter grips the heather
With a weathered cloak and a staff of ash
He traded comfort for a question
And paid in blood for the hidden path
Two black wings crossed above his shoulder
Two bright thoughts circled over the land
He gathered every broken answer
And carved its weight into his hand
[Pre-Chorus]
No crown can hold him
No grave can bind
He bears the burden
Of every mind
[Chorus]
All-father, keeper of the first fire
Guide our feet through the iron snow
Teach us the price of a rising sun
Teach us when to stand, when to let go
All-father, hear the oath we carry
Through the frost and the falling stone
If the road runs dark beyond the mountain
We will walk it, but not alone
[Verse 2]
At the roots where the deep waters gather
He heard three sisters name what must be
Past the well and the serpent’s shadow
He drank the future and paid the fee
He knew the feast would end in ashes
Knew the wolf would break its chain
Still he fed the halls with welcome
Still he called the lost by name
[Pre-Chorus]
No crown can hold him
No grave can bind
He bears the burden
Of every mind
[Chorus]
All-father, keeper of the first fire
Guide our feet through the iron snow
Teach us the price of a rising sun
Teach us when to stand, when to let go
All-father, hear the oath we carry
Through the frost and the falling stone
If the road runs dark beyond the mountain
We will walk it, but not alone
[Bridge]
When the last red branch is burning
When the old walls split apart
Let the brave remember clearly:
Wisdom is a guarded heart
Raise the horn for those who stumble
Raise the shield for those who flee
What survives beyond the ending
Is the word we choose to be
[Final Chorus]
All-father, keeper of the first fire
Guide our feet through the iron snow
Teach us the price of a rising sun
Teach us when to stand, when to let go
All-father, hear the oath we carry
Through the frost and the falling stone
If the road runs dark beyond the mountain
We will walk it, but not alone
[Outro]
In the hush before the morning
His ravens rise, the embers glow
The road is long, the night is bitter
Still the all-father leads us home