The Lantern Vow

Intro

Old blood

Old names

One promise carved in stone

Verse 1

My father's father lit the flame

Stitched our line to sacred ground

Now they turn to me with ash and shame

Begging for a son to be found

The lanterns swing across the yard

My mother's hands are cold and thin

Every duty written on my scar

Every doorway nailed within

Pre-Chorus

They say the clan must live

They say the name must hold

Chorus

I give my breath to the Yao fire

Burnt offering for what comes after

Let my body climb the pyre

I'll be the ghost of their laughter

Sacrifice for the line

For the blood that won't fade

Post-Chorus

Yao goes on

Yao goes on

Verse 2

I carried wet stones from the river bend

Stained my palms till they turned to grey

Wondered if this is how old stories end

If the weight ever goes away

No brother stands beside my door

No cousins left to share the road

Everything I am becomes the war

Everything I own I have owed

Pre-Chorus

They say the clan must live

They say the name must hold

Chorus

I give my breath to the Yao fire

Burnt offering for what comes after

Let my body climb the pyre

I'll be the ghost of their laughter

Sacrifice for the line

For the blood that won't fade

Bridge

What do I owe beyond my bones

What do I owe to unborn names

The altar calls in funeral tones

And answer is the same

Chorus

I give my breath to the Yao fire

Burnt offering for what comes after

Let my body climb the pyre

I'll be the ghost of their laughter

Sacrifice for the line

For the blood that won't fade

Outro

Yao goes on

Yao goes on