Iron Mouth Wake

Lyrics

Intro
The floor is breathing under my shoes
A thousand teeth behind the wall
Cold sparks bloom in the dark
And something answers when I call

Verse 1
I walked in through the loading bay
Past dented doors and a chain-link prayer
The conveyor moved with a dead-eyed shake
Like it knew my name was there
Steam rose up from a cracked pipe seam
White as bone in the blackened glow
And every sign on the rusted beams
Said turn back now, but I stayed to know

Pre-Chorus
Hear that grind
Feel that pull
The whole place wakes
When the sirens fall
One more step
And the walls lean in
Like a mouth full of nails
On my skin

Chorus
Breathe the iron
Breathe the iron
We are the fire inside the wire (inside the wire)
Breathe the iron
Breathe the iron
Let the cold machine take my desire

Verse 2
Hooks on chains in the overflow
Swing like hands in a funeral row
The press came down with a lover’s force
And left a stamp where the warnings go
I saw my face in a molten tank
Split in two by the dirty sheen
One was screaming to run for the light
One kept staring into the green

Pre-Chorus
Hear that grind
Feel that pull
The whole place wakes
When the sirens fall
One more step
And the walls lean in
Like a mouth full of nails
On my skin

Chorus
Breathe the iron
Breathe the iron
We are the fire inside the wire (inside the wire)
Breathe the iron
Breathe the iron
Let the cold machine take my desire

Verse 3
Now the ceiling caves in ash by ash
And the belts keep turning slow
There’s a face in the furnace glass
That wears my years like old barbed smoke
Every bolt sings, every hatchlock shakes
Every shadow has a pulse
If I fall, then the factory wakes
If I crawl, it drags me further down

Bridge
Shut off the lights
Lock every gate
I hear the whole damn building breathe
Whispers in the pipes
Scratch my name
Mouths in the vents
They’re coming for me
Breakdown
One
Two
Crush
Repeat
Steel on steel
Beneath my feet
Three
Four
The walls come down
I hear the hammer
I hear the sound

Chorus
Breathe the iron
Breathe the iron
We are the fire inside the wire (inside the wire)
Breathe the iron
Breathe the iron
Let the cold machine take my desire

Outro
The sirens fade
The smoke stays low
I leave with ash in my throat
But the factory keeps
My shadow here
Spinning with the dead conveyor glow