The Fire

Lyrics

[Verse 1] A young child sits quiet, the forest is dark Possibilities overflow his unbroken heart I ask him well after the brush takes the spark What do you see in the fire? I see light within color and color in light Trophies I'll take home and battles I'll fight A bright blue horizon with no pain in sight I'll be there and so will my parents and you're invited too [Verse 2] A life-sentence inmate in orange prisoner clothes Who's been told his whole life that's just how it goes Who came out swinging from poverty row Sits a bit close to the dangerous glow What do ya see in the fire? I see rich people laughin' with food on their plates And neighborhood bullies imprinted with hate Moms and dads screaming at each other insane And hard grey redemption a little too late And I see myself as I might've been I'm handsome, and capable, and funny [Verse 3] A young woman in college entranced by the flames is pondering silent how perfectly strange A girl could be called by so many names and not one be the one she was given What do you see in the fire? I see myself in the mirror, not pretty enough And digital images reducing love My roommate enslaved by expectations above And then I see the face of my mother [Verse 4] A first year preacher stands on his feet His love for man kind is true and complete While the frigid wind blows through the trees I ask as he leans away from the heat "What do you see in the fire?" I see swirling confusion, question, and loss And I know all about Christ and the cross But I cannot explain the Holocaust I stuttered when a young man asked me to I just couldn't find the words [Verse 5] A woman of ninety with wisdom in spades Her mind still as sharp as her kitchen blades I ask as her memory nonetheless fades "What do you see in the fire?" I see the touch of my husband who recently passed Our hometown before the roads got so fast And I see it now in an impatient blur And I see how in love we were I see the good Lord offering mercy I see the good Lord offering mercy I see the good Lord offering mercy [Verse 6] Someone I care for, she sits by my side I can feel the past and the future collide She leans in and whispers, "Don't think, just decide" What do you see in the fire? I see the faces of my victims whose hearts I once broke Calm and alive in the curling smoke All I can do is sit here and hope They may find a way to forgive me [Outro] There's something unspoken there in your eyes A pain or a love I don't recognize I better ask you now before it dies What do you see in the fire?