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1. OVERTURE

it starts with our eyes well acquainted with the dark.
then the mind was made to illuminate the heart.
and when every constellation suddenly appeared,
through telescopes and calculations,
the far was pulled so near.

but even after everything we’ve seen
we’ve barely caught a glimpse of what it means.
in the architecture of the soul
the universe began with our eyes closed.

we claim our lands,
we tame our seas,
we carve our names
on the surface of history,
’til our hands get tied
by the stubborn will of gravity.

but even after everything we’ve seen
we’ve barely caught a glimpse of what it means.
in the architecture of the soul
the universe began with our eyes closed.

in the rise and fall
of a newborn’s chest,
like the ocean swells,
we inhale, exhale and reset.
every living thing
is in this constant state of unrest.

but even after all our history
we’ve barely caught a glimpse of what it means.
in the architecture of the soul
the universe began.
even after everything we’ve seen
we’ve barely caught a glimpse of what it means.
in the architecture of the soul
the universe began with our eyes closed.

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2. WOODWORK

i hear your heart
as it beats beneath
the sound of crashing cars.
as the sirens pour
into every street
surrounding us,
our world caves in on us
and makes us new.

all our love came out of the woodwork.
all our strength came out of the woodwork.
we only notice light
when darkness crashes against it.
we only notice light
deep in the woodwork.

i still hear the song
as it rings beneath the sound
of shattered glass.
in the aftermath,
the melody, it carries on
while we come undone,
and makes us new.

all our love came out of the woodwork.
all our strength came out of the woodwork.
we only notice light
when darkness crashes against it.
we only notice light
deep in the woodwork.

it’s a cruel, cruel trick
how we find ourselves
when we lose everything else.
like a train wreck,
the sound of your breathing hits my ears.
our world reappears
and it breaks us new.

all our love came out of the woodwork.
all our strength came out of the woodwork.
all our trust came out of the woodwork.
we only notice light deep in the woodwork.

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3. I’LL KEEP YOU SAFE

i’ll keep you safe.
try hard to concentrate.
hold out your hand,
can you feel the weight of it?
the whole world at your fingertips-

don’t be, don’t be afraid.
our mistakes, they were bound to be made.
but i promise you i’ll keep you safe.

you’ll be an architect,
so pull up your sleeves
and build a new silhouette
in the skylines up ahead.

don’t be, don’t be afraid.
our mistakes, they were bound to be made.
but i promise you i’ll keep you safe.
i’ll keep you safe.

your darkness will be rewritten
into a work of fiction, you’ll see.
as you pull on every ribbon
you’ll find every secret it keeps.

your darkness will be rewritten
into a work of fiction, you’ll see.
as you pull on every ribbon
you’ll find every secret it keeps.

the sound of the branches
breaking under your feet,
the smell of the falling
and burning of leaves,
the bitterness of winter
or the sweetness of spring,
you are an artist
but your heart is your masterpiece.

and i’ll keep it safe.

dismiss the invisible
by giving it shape,
like a clockmaker fixes time
by keeping the gears in line.

don’t be, no don’t be afraid.
God knows, our mistakes will be made.
but i promise you i’ll keep you safe.

as you build up your collection
of pearls that you pulled from the deep,
a landscape more beautiful
than anything that i’ve ever seen.

the sound of the branches
breaking under your feet,
the smell of the falling
and burning of leaves,
the bitterness of winter
or the sweetness of spring,
you are an artist,
but your heart is your masterpiece.

and i’ll keep it safe.

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4. BAD BLOOD

you fixed your eyes on us,
your flesh and blood,
a sculpture of water
and unsettled dust.

when there was bad blood in us,
we learned our lesson:
genesis to the last generation.

so we wrestle with it all-
the concept of grace
and the faithful concrete
as it breaks our fall.

our questions are all the same.
identical words; how they feel brand new against different time frames.
identical words against different time frames.

we know it all by heart-
the whole is greater
than the sum of its parts.

we’ve heard it all before-
in beauty there echoes a speck of our source.
in beauty there echoes a speck of our source.

like firewood,
burning bright
in the dead of winter,
by only a flicker
we cling to this life.

so we huddle over maps;
is it faith or prediction,
will or tradition
until we collapse?
we argue our bearings
until we collapse.

we study our story arcs-
inherently good,
or were we broken right from the start?

our hesitant fingerprints
trace every mountain,
lace every valley
until we’re convinced…

that we know it all by heart-
every blade of grass
bears our mark.

in the name of being brave,
though it’s just another word for being afraid.

we know it all by heart-
the whole is so much greater
than the sum of these parts.
we’ve heard the truth before,
for in beauty there echoes a speck of our source.
in beauty there echoes a speck of our source.
in beauty there echoes a speck of our source.

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5. UNEVEN ODDS

i once knew your father well.
he fought tears as he spoke
of your mother’s health.

i guess a part of him just couldn’t return.
forgiveness is the lesson
he cursed you to learn.

as your guardian, I was instructed well
to make sense of God’s love in these fires of hell.

now i don’t expect you to understand,
just to live what little life
your broken heart can.

maybe your light is a seed,
and the darkness, the dirt.
in spite of the uneven odds
beauty lifts from the earth.

as the years move on
these questions take shape.
are you getting stronger
or is time shifting weight?

no one expects you to understand,
just to live what little life
your mended heart can.

you’ll always remember
the moment God took her away,
for the weight of the world
was placed on your shoulders that day.

maybe your light is a seed,
and the darkness, the dirt.
in spite of the uneven odds
beauty lifts from the earth.

you’re much too young now
so i’ll write these words down:
darkness exists
to make light truly count.

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