[Intro – crackling fire sound, slow acoustic guitar riff] Mug sits heavy on the wood Grey beard catches candle light [Verse 1 – rough strummed guitar, steady bass line] I was barely twenty one when the gate first called Slept in ditches, ate what crows left all Fought goblins in the rain where the moss runs thick Lost three good men before I learned to blink [Pre-Chorus – building drum beat, harmonica hum] You only see the cane, the calloused hands You never walked the roads this old man ran [Chorus – full band crash, layered backing vocals] There's blood on every stone beneath my boots Ten ghosts that still call out my name I outran dragons, outdrank devils too Long before I ever held you Long before I ever held you [Interlude – screaming electric guitar solo] (Instrumental Solo) [Verse 2 – softer guitar, quiet drums] Once I slept inside a tomb for three cold days Tricked a witch with nothing but a dice and lies Watched the northern ice turn red at dawn Buried friends where no one ever mourns [Pre-Chorus – rising guitar, building energy] I don't tell the worst ones, not to you Some nights I still taste the mountain dew [Chorus – heavier full band, raw vocals] There's scars beneath this shirt you never saw Twelve fates that tried to take my breath I outran lightning, outwalked death itself Long before I ever held you Long before I ever held you [Bridge – quiet, only acoustic guitar] All those monsters, all that blood and rain Every wrong turn led me home again Every battle I was forced to win Was just me learning how to be your kin [Final Chorus – maximum band intensity, roaring vocals] Now I sit and mend your broken doll Hang my sword behind the kitchen door All those wild years were not for glory They just brought me here to love you They just brought me here to love you [Outro – fading guitar, soft fire crackle] The tales end when the hero comes home That's the part they never have shown