[Verse 1]
I was raised on cable ties and curfew lines
They said “boy keep your head down, color inside the lines”
But the first time I tasted unauthorized sky
Something burned clean through the soft parts of my mind
[Pre-Chorus]
It don’t wash off with soap
It don’t fade in the rain
It’s a brand under the skin
That only freedom can make
[Chorus]
Freedom leaves a mark on the righteous
A long red welt across the soul
You either carry it proud or you hide it
But you never walk away whole
Freedom leaves a mark
Yeah freedom leaves a mark
[Verse 2]
They’ll call you trouble, call you lost, call you vain
Say you broke the social contract, brought dishonor on the name
But when the cage door swings and the hinges scream
You feel that old iron taste — liberty’s own blood on your teeth
[Pre-Chorus]
It ain’t pretty like the songs
It ain’t clean like TV
It’s knuckles split on concrete
And a heart that won’t agree to bleed quietly
[Chorus]
Freedom leaves a mark on the righteous
Scorched earth where the lie used to grow
Some wear it like a medal, some wear it like a curse
But brother once you know — you know
Freedom leaves a mark
God damn, freedom leaves a mark
[Bridge]
They’ll try to bury you under paperwork and shame
Call the scar a defect, say you’re the one to blame
But every midnight mile you walked against the wind
Carved another letter in the monument within
[Guitar solo – let it snarl, let it cry, two minutes of bending strings and feedback prayers]
[Final Chorus – bigger, half-time feel]
Freedom leaves a mark on the righteous
A roadmap written in scar tissue and fire
You can kneel, you can run, you can bargain with the night
But that brand keeps burning higher
Freedom leaves a mark
Yeah freedom leaves a goddamn mark
[Outro – vocals drop to a gravel whisper over ringing chords]
And if they ever ask you why you limp that way…
Just smile
And show ’em the wound that won’t obey.
96oose_
