Ash and Iron

They gather like crows, they sharpen their stones,

They say that the truth is as dead as my bones.

They spit in my face, they rattle their chains,

But I will not bend, and I will not break.

They fashion their idols, they carve them in gold,

They mock the old fire, they call it gone cold.

But I’ve seen the embers, I’ve walked through the flame,

And I know my King, and I know His name.

Oh, they can try, they can tear me down,

Oh, but I won’t turn around.

Strike me down, I’ll rise in the dust! (Rise in the dust!)

Grind my bones, they’ll turn into rust! (Turn into rust!)

I am the iron, I am the flame—

Ash and iron still bear His name!

I walked through the courts, I stood in their halls,

I heard all their judgments, I’ve seen kingdoms fall.

I’ve tasted the gall, I’ve knelt in the dirt,

But grace is a weapon, and death is a curse.

They pull at the seams, they hammer the nails,

They burn all the books, they darken the trails.

But truth is a lion, it does not retreat,

So I will not bow, and I will not plead.

Oh, they can try, they can tear me down,

Oh, but I won’t turn around.

Strike me down, I’ll rise in the dust! (Rise in the dust!)

Grind my bones, they’ll turn into rust! (Turn into rust!)

I am the iron, I am the flame—

Ash and iron still bear His name!

I’ve seen the dawn through the smoke and the fire,

I’ve felt the weight of the great deniers.

They cut the branches, they salt the ground,

But the root still holds, and it won’t back down.

Strike me down, I’ll rise in the dust! (Rise in the dust!)

Grind my bones, they’ll turn into rust! (Turn into rust!)

I am the iron, I am the flame—

Ash and iron still bear His name!

They can try, they can tear me down…

But I won’t turn around.