“When the Teeth Fall Out” (Drop B. Slow doom-metal build. Sparse intro. Heavy reverb. Massive chorus.) [Intro – Clean, hollow tone, distant thunder] I used to bite. I used to hold. I used to stand like iron in the cold. Now something shifts beneath my jaw… A silent law. A silent flaw. [Verse 1 – Low, controlled scream] The pillars crack beneath the strain One by one I lose the reign The back molars fall like kings dethroned Leaving the fortress undermanned, alone I used to guard with sharpened bone Gnash my fear into the stone Now the hinge just clicks in time With the slow decay of pride [Pre-Chorus – Rising tension] Full… not pain. Just the weight of change. The body whispers what the mind won’t name. [Chorus – Huge, open chords, screamed] WHEN THE TEETH FALL OUT WHO HOLDS THE LINE? WHEN THE BITE GROWS DULL WHAT DEFENDS THE MIND? I CAN’T BE FANGS FOREVER CAN’T BE WAR ALL THE TIME THE GUARDIAN AGES THE ARMOR DECLINES WHEN THE TEETH FALL OUT YOU LEARN TO UNCLENCH YOU LEARN THAT POWER WAS NEVER THE FENCE [Verse 2 – Faster, chaotic riffing] I braced for storms that never came Built a fortress out of flame But every year the enamel thins And strength is not where it begins The jaw once locked against the night Now trembles under softer light What if the loss is not defeat But the end of having to bare my teeth? [Breakdown – Slow, crushing, almost whispered growl] Lean forward — pressure. Lean back — release. Aging isn’t violence. It’s surrendering teeth. [Bridge – Clean, haunting vocal layer] I am not weak Because I cannot bite. I am not prey Because I choose not to fight. The world taught me Fangs were survival. But maybe survival Is soft revival. [Final Chorus – Massive, layered vocals] WHEN THE TEETH FALL OUT THE WAR IS DONE YOU DON’T NEED FANGS TO BE SOMEONE THE BITE WAS A SEASON THE CLENCH WAS A CAGE THE LOSS IS A DOORWAY INTO A DIFFERENT STAGE [Outro – Slow, fading distortion] The guardian grows older. The jaw learns to rest. You were never your teeth. You were always your chest.